


Before MEKA

by bunbunbuns



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gaming, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Recall, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 78,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15910764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunbunbuns/pseuds/bunbunbuns
Summary: Everyone was someone before MEKA. Professional esport athletes have grown and evolved into some of the biggest celebrities. D.Va is no exception with her start as a faceless name.Note: Heavy focus on esports and original characters alongside D.VaUsing Korean age. To keep things simple, everyone will be one year 'older'Yes this is the new one after the "Shooting Star" short was released and I revamped the story to contain more canon elements





	1. Introducing the new MEKA

**Author's Note:**

> Michael Chu explained that in the Overwatch universe D.Va is a professional in a game that would help her fly the mechs. It appears to be a first person shooter game. They have not revealed the name of this game. In this story I will be dubbing it "Starwatch" until an official name is released. A reference to Starcraft, the original game she was a professional in, and Overwatch put together.

“New Brigadier General Yoon Kyung Tae.”

“Choong sung!”

“New Brigadier General Kang Mi Sook.”

“Choong sung!”

The auditorium was packed. Everyone wore their navy green uniforms with hats in their laps. Hana shuffled in her seat glancing at the clock. The Marshal and the rest of the military put together the whole ceremony. Ground troops, Navy, and Air Force sat together. It took a few deep breaths to be able to feel her lungs.

“New Major General Jeon Sun Hee.”

“Choong sung!”

“New Major General Im Young Hwa.”

“Choong sung!”

Hana’s eyes wandered to her fellow comrades beside her. Many just stared towards the stage. A few yawned and most figedted once in a while.

“New Lieutenant General Choi Dae Sung.”

“Choong sung!”

“New Lieutenant General Lee Tae Yeon.”

“Choong sung!”

Each new title and name called made Hana’s gut churn. Familiar faces began to shift into stone. Eyes glazed over as they stared out at the crowd in front of them. Their salutes unwavering.

“New General Park Jae Young.”

“Choong sung!”

“And new General Kim Eun Ji.”

“Choong sung!”

Eun Ji’s voice scratched the edges of the auditorium. Quiet snorts came from the other units of the military.

“These are MEKA’s new generals. Each has demonstrated a level of leadership, control, and knowledge to take charge of MEKA and lead the nation to victory against the Gwishin.”

Silence enveloped the room with a new air. Eyes from the other branches stared at MEKA.

“Many were doubtful. However, their recent victory proves that this unit can pull through. I have put my full faith in the new generals to look over and carry out their duties. Each one knows their comrades better than we do and will be able to accomodate for them.”

Hana could hear murmurs. There weren’t any but they slipped into her ears along with the stares into her back.

“Please continue to trust the MEKA unit.”

“Yes sir!” The room stood to their feet and saluted. Hana puffed her chest high in her salute. Looking to her new generals standing on the stage.

* * *

 

“Finally done with those meetings.” Tae Yeon brought her finger under her collar and stretched it a bit. “Being a general doesn’t change anything. We were basically playing these roles before the Marshal’s official ranking. Now we have to do all this fancy stuff.”

The eight walked down the hall, the clicking from their heels bouncing off the walls.

“But now that we have official rankings we can be taken seriously.” Eun Ji led the group towards the doors.

“No we won’t.” Jae Young’s stride matched hers. “They won’t take us seriously until someone dies.”

Dae Sung snorted. “I wish that wasn’t true but hyung has a point.”

“Maybe they’d take us seriously if we had actual, proper military training.” Mi Sook crossed her arms. “They literally plucked us out of our careers and just pushed us into the mechs.”

“I usually hate to be someone who agrees with the majority, but Mi Sook is right.” Sun Hee chimed in without waiting for a pause. “Our specialties were playing games, doing interviews, taking photos, and all the other celebrity stuff.”

“Doesn’t help that we’re still treated that way…” Kyung Tae’s voice shook with hesitation. “Have you seen how many billboards and holograms of D.Va exist? Of course the other branches don’t take us seriously.”

Eun Ji stopped mid stride and took in a deep breath. Everyone behind her bumped into her, clogging the hall. “Everyone please.” Turning around to face them. “They won’t take us seriously if we don’t take ourselves seriously.”

“Oh stop with that nonsense.” Jae Young’s hands were stuffed into his pockets.

“Well what do you propose to say instead?” Eun Ji’s brows furrowed as she turned to Jae Young. “Are you going to just tell everyone that we’re a bunch of clowns to entertain the nation and our roles are useless?”

The group collectively stepped back from the two.

“That’s because we are!” In a swift motion he stepped towards Eun Ji and leaned into her. “We’re nothing but a bunch of toys that just happen to be really good at operating these robots to fight a bigger robot!”

“We are not and you know that!” Eun Ji leaning in closer to Jae Young.

“You’re the one who needs to see who we really are and that our role is almost meaningless!”

“We are not meaningless!” The shirll from her voice bounced around and pierced everyone’s ears.

Tae Yeon and Dae Sung took a step forward. Reaching out to the two. Before they could reach, Jae Young shifted and stood up right. Rubbing his forehead with his right hand. “This is stupid I’m not going to fight you right now.” The group held their breath as their eyes went back and forth between them. “Just say whatever you want to say to make them feel better.”

Eun Ji swallowed the air and sighed. Jae Young began his stride again. “Jae Young.” In a skip she caught up to him and grabbed his hand. Taking an extra step to stand in front of him. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop being sorry for someone else.” Trying to push her to the side, Eun Ji stayed with his steps. Jae Young stepped to the side and she followed. Stepping to the other side just to have her follow along. The silence between them swelled before exploding with Jae Young’s soft laugh. The group behind sighed together, each them having grabbed onto another person’s arm. “Eun Ji you’re adorable.” Quickly grabbing her chin and leaning in to kiss her on the lips. “But also very annoying.”

Eun Ji giggled as she skipped to Jae Young’s side, swinging their holding hands together.

“Ew.” Tae Yeon wrinkled her nose and began to follow. “Could you two stop being so fucking obnoxious.”

Dae Sung walked alongside her and jabbed Tae Yeon with his elbow. Mumbling under his breath. “Better than them not being obnoxious.”

Young Hwa and Sun Hee followed suit with Mi Sook and Kyung Tae at the end. “Yeah last time they didn’t talk to each other for like two days.” Young Hwa followed Dae Sung’s mumbling.

“I think them fighting is scarier than when the Navy made us do drill because we couldn’t follow their exercise.” Sun Hee’s usual snap under her breath.

With the door at arm’s length away, Eun Ji and Jae Young let go of each others hands and pushed the door open.

Loud chatter that swelled from the room poured down the hall. Each one stepped into the new auditorium. Not a single person was in their assigned seats. Bodies all stood up into pods, moving their mouths so fast it was impossible to catch what one might be saying. Hana was in her own small pod, laughing at some joke. She lightly tugged at her uniform as her eyes wandered to the stage. Seeing the eight bodies come onto from the back.

Eun Ji took in a deep breath and stepped up to the microphone placed in the center. Putting her lips as close as she could and clearing her throat. “Excuse me, MEKA.” A few mouths stopped moving but most couldn’t hear her through the noise.

Jae Young sighed and stepped up to the second mic. “Ya!” His voice carried from the microphone to the walls and into the ears of the room. “Just because we’re peers doesn’t mean you’re allowed to ignore us when we speak to you!”

Even with the number of people and the size of the room, the cold stare Jae Young gave ripped through people’s soul. In a flash the only sound was chairs being moved as they scrambled to get into their seats. Hana made a mad dash back to her assigned seat.

Once everyone was seated, Jae Young nodded and spoke into the mic again. “That’s better.” He looked down to Eun Ji and smiled. She mouthed thank you to him and stepped back to her mic.

“Thank you for settling down.” Quickly she stopped rubbing her hands over each other and folded them together. “I know it’s been a long day but I won’t take too long.” Eun Ji turned to look behind at the rest of the group and mentioned them to come closer. Everyone took two steps forward and stood in place. “As you know before we were given our official rankings, you as a group have nominated everyone to these roles and we played them all the way to the most recent Gwishin attack. There won’t be too many changes in how we interact with you and how we carry out duties. Because MEKA is much smaller than the other military units, our responsibilities will be a mixture of traditional military roles as well as making our roles work the best for MEKA.”

Hana heard actual mumbles this time. With few questioning what that meant.

“This means Jae Young and I will be splitting the roles of overseeing all activity for MEKA as well as performing other duties the generals from the other branches carry out. We will still be as present as possible because of the importance in fighting the Gwishin.”

The mumbling quieted and shushed out.

“Tae Yeon and Dae Sung will also carry out their Lieutenant general duties but will provide as second in command for when Jae Young and I are absent.”

Hana could feel her right side tingling. Turning to see Yuna leaning into her. “How often are they going to be absent to put those two in charge?”

Leaning back into her to stay as quiet as possible, Hana shrugged. “I don’t know but it’ll be interesting.”

Eun Ji continued down the line. “Young Hwa and Sun Hee will carry out their Major general duties and will be overseeing large groups of MEKA. The same applies that they will be next in command if Tae Young and Dae Sung have higher duties to carry out. This is also for Mi Sook and Kyung Tae. They have their Brigadier general duties and will be in charge of smaller groups and come next for when Young Hwa and Sun Hee must perform higher duties.”

Still leaning in, Hana whispered to Yuna. “Unnie… This sounds like-”

“A mess?” Yuna finished before Hana could finish. “That’s because it is without Jae Young oppa and Eun Ji unnie. If they ever had to leave for more than a week, the base would catch on fire.” Yuna stopped leaning and sat up straight. Hana covered her mouth to stop the giggles from escaping.

“A new main base has been built for us.” That made the room burst with a short murmur. “Because Gwishin attacks are focused on the southern coast of the peninsula, we have been moved to south Gyeongsang in between the major cities on the coast. We are almost equidistant from Mokpo and Ulsan.”

Chatter rised up again from the news. Hana fully turned to Yuna and quietly squealed. “Do you think it’s permanent?”

“I hope so!” Her eyes smiled back at her. “That means we can decorate it!”

Jae Young moved closer to his mic and loudly cleared his throat. The room froze and shuffled back to sitting in a proper position. Eun Ji smiled as he leaned back away from the mic. “Smaller bases will be built in all major cities and ports. The Navy and Air Force will be working together with us to provide the best predictions on where and when the Gwishin will strike next. Since they only appear every few months, they will report to us as soon as possible and we will move to the correct base with the appropriate number of units.”

Now Eun Ji stepped back from the mic and looked over to Jae Young. He stepped to his mic and nodded. “Along with further partnership between the Navy and Air Force, there will be new mechs combining the knowledge from both branches. This means mechs that are solely for air and water.” A few hiccups of noise popped up before immediately shutting down at the look of Jae Young. “The military has also partnered with other countries to share technology. We will be receiving new mechs in the future from tech all over the world.”

This made the room lose it. Everyone began conversing which technology they would work with and what new mechs they could pilot. Hana let out her squeal now. “New mechs with new tech?!”

Yuna couldn’t hold back her excitement now. Her feet tapped rapidly. “I hope we can get some of Russia barrier tech! We could make absolute tanks with that!”

Jae Young pretended to clear his throat again and the room silenced. “Please. Give us five more minutes.” Chills were sent from his voice down the spines of everyone. That hushed tone hitting an octave lower made hairs stand with fear. It didn’t take much for the unit to understand who Jae Young really was. “All new mechs will first be tested by the generals and in mock combat. If they pass all qualifications from the military and from us, they will be handed out to members who are interested. As we get more mechs we learn more fighting styles and find matches for everyone.” He paused to wait if anyone would speak up again. When it swelled, he continued. “Speaking of combat. Because of our official ranking all generals will not be apart of real combat un-”

That was enough for people to break out of Jae Young’s grasp. The few who shouted in protest even stood up.

“If there are anymore interruptions I will implement a more rigorous morning routine.” Silence fell once again and bottoms reached seats. “As I was saying. Generals will not be apart of real combat unless absolutely necessary. This will make more sense once mechs from the Navy and Air Force arrive to us. However, for now just know that all generals during real combat will be monitoring and directing units. If things are proven to be overwhelming for those units, generals will step in to end the situation as quickly as possible. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” The unison in all voices hit the walls and fell.

Jae Young and Eun Ji looked back and motioned for the rest to step forward. Tae Yeon raised her eyebrow and took the largest step forward. Dae Sung rolled his eyes and followed. The rest of the four looked at each other before taking their step forward. Tae Yeon reached her arm out and wiggled her fingers for the mic. Jae Young took the mic off the stand and stepped over to her. “Tae Yeon I swear to god if you do some dumb shit I will rip you apart.”

“Ooo kinky.” The smug smile spread across her face.

“Aaand I’m skipping you.” Jae Young lifted the mic up from her grasp and moved to Dae Sung.

“Oh my god oppa I won’t do anything weird.” Her arm reached out and swiped the mic from his fist.

Jae Young rolled his eyes and walked over to the side. Eun Ji walked to the other side of the line and placed her hands down in front of her.

Tae Yeon’s back stretched up and chest puffed up. She wiggled a little bit as if getting herself ready for something important. The mic coming up to her mouth, sticking her pinky out. “As your new Lieutenant general I just want to say,” Her head held high as she paused for a second too long. “To remember that it isn’t about winning. It’s about taking ass and kicking it down the mouth of the sea.”

Everything slowly unfolded before their eyes. Jae Young’s grew three times in size as steam pumped out of his ears. The room began to laugh and cover their mouths as he reached for the mic. Before Jae Young could take the mic away from her, she passed it to Dae Sung.

Swiping it from her grasp, Dae Sung quickly put it to his mouth. “I would like to point out everyone was wrong in choosing Tae Yeon to be my equal.”

The fast forward button was pushed as the mic was swiftly passed to Young Hwa. “Hey at least we got a bigger budget.”

Another swift pass and now it was out of Jae Young’s control. Sun Hee took it and raised one arm up. “In order to make me the new favorite general, we can go to my family’s restaurant and I will treat everyone!”

The pass of the mic sped up down the line. Everyone was cheering and laughing. Mi Sook looked to the audience and stuck her tongue out. “Lick more salt from the ocean after we kick ass down it.”

Another pass and Kyung Tae hesitantly lifted the mic to his mouth. It popped open and close like a goldfish before he spurt something out. “Uh… Let’s go and uh get them.” A weak fist pump with his left hand and his right hand covering his face.

The mic rolled out of his falling fist bump and Eun Ji caught it. The room filled with laughter and chatter. She shifted her weight to look down the line at Jae Young. His arms crossed as he rolled his eyes. Eun Ji smiled and faced the auditorium. Clearing her throat into the mic and waiting for things to quiet. “Thank you generals.” The line waved and smiled at her. “Please remember that even though we are your peers and friends, we are still your generals.” The line furiously nodded even though their giggles echoed around. “With that being said, the Navy and Air Force have told us that the next attack shouldn’t be coming in for another couple months. That’s enough time for our new base to be finished, receive our new mechs, and plan for the future. For now we will be on leave.” Everyone clapped at the news. Eun Ji smiled more and motioned for everyone to stop. “Also tonight we are being treated to dinner.”

There was no point in stopping them. The thunder from their voices took over the auditorium. Hana jumped up and down with Yuna. “Unnie we have to go to all the arcades!”

“Hell yeah!” Yuna pumped her fists up.

“Attention!” Jae Young stood next to Eun Ji, holding the mic in her hand. In a second the room faced the front and stood at attention. “Baddeul-eo chong!”

“Choong sung!” Feet coming together, sleeves snapping into place, and the echo of everyone’s voice in unison. The generals saluted back and everyone stood together for MEKA.

* * *

 

Hana entered the restaurant with Yuna. Many were already at tables in decently sized groups. Everyone was in clothing they would have worn when hanging out with each other. Usually the military would have everyone wear their uniforms for events that were hosted by them. However, with official generals in place, everyone was given permission to change. “I feel like I can breathe again.” Hana sighing at the sight of everyone relaxed and smiling. “Glad to see we stopped sitting with our old teams too.” Her eyes gazing across the room.

“Yeah it was weird to see how big the SKT table would be compared to the other tables.” Yuna’s eyes landed at a waving hand. “Guess a certain princess wants us to sit with him.”

“Hm?” Hana followed Yuna’s gaze to see the white hair slicked back. “I guess Jae Eun oppa wants us to join him.”

The two squeezed through the bodies to reach him. When they did, he raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Sorry Hana, I’m only taking Yuna.”

“Rude as shit.” But Yuna had already made herself at home next to him. “Now where is Hana gonna sit?”

“Sit with us.” A familiar voice passed by the table. Everyone’s eyes followed the voice. Tae Yeon continued by the table. “Unless you’re lame and don’t want to sit with your old teammate.” Sticking her tongue out and holding up her middle finger.

Hana looked at Yuna who was already waving her away. “You better tell me what happens at the generals table. I want all the deets.” Playfully pushing her away from the group.

“Fine unnie.” Giggling as she waved bye to the table.

Jae Eun’s head snapped to Yuna. “Oh my god finally. Look I know she’s your teammate but I can only handle one big ego tonight.”

Yuna flicked his forehead and reached for the cooking meat. “So you mean yourself?” The table laughed as Jae Eun scowled.

Hana slipped past bodies to catch up to Tae Yeon. “Why do you want me to sit with you unnie?”

Tae Yeon reached the table and plopped herself down next to Young Hwa. “Is it a crime for me to want to hang out with you once in a while?”

“It might be.” Young Hwa popped in, eyes focused on the food on the grill. “Don’t you like, I don’t know, hate Hana?”

A swift and light backhand swat was delivered. “Excuse you,” Tae Yeon leaned over and pulled Hana down into the empty spot. “I hate her because I love her.”

Kyung Tae snorted and covered his face. “Whatever noona.”

Hana plopped onto the seat and looked around. The generals had gathered together at their own table near the front. Noise from the rest of MEKA drowned out and only mumbles could be heard. Jae Young and Eun Ji next to each other as usual, Dae Sung seated by Eun Ji with Young Hwa on his other side. Kyung Tae, Mi Sook, and Sun Hee all on the right side of her. “So why are all of you together instead of sitting with the others?”

Before anyone could answer, Sun Hee’s voice spiked into a shrill. “Oppa you suck at this!” Her hand shooting out to swipe the tongs Jae Young was holding.

“Mother f-” Stopping himself short from releasing the next word. His top teeth biting on his bottom lip and the hand once holding tongs balling up into a fist. “Sun Hee could you turn it down ten notches.”

Sun Hee snarled and began flipping meat at top notch speeds with two tongs in each hand. “Not until you learn how to fucking cook. Who taught you anyways, your non existent friends?”

The rest of the table snorted and giggled watching Jae Young hold back everything from leaking out of his mouth.

“Here.” Eun Ji wrapped up the samgyeopsal she had grabbed and held it in front of Jae Young’s face. He glanced over at her before whorfing the wrap into his mouth.

After chewing for a second he got up from the table. “I’m bringing more lettuce because apparently I’m useless at cooking.”

As he left, Sun Hee called over her shoulder. “You’re garbage at it!” The friendly gesture Tae Yeon gave earlier was now visible on his hand.

Out of ear shot, the group moved their heads in together and turned their heads to Eun Ji. Mi Sook’s mouth moved the fastest. “Unnie why are you dating him again?”

Eun Ji blinked a few times at everyone. Her infamous doe eyes staring back into the countless eyes. “Um… Because he’s cute.” A groan escaped everyone in unison. Eyes rolling back bringing their heads out from the table. “Plus he’s funny!” There was no way to wipe her smile away.

“Funny being used to describe Jae Young hyung?” Young Hwa shoved a wrap into his mouth.

Dae Sung rolled his eyes to the opposite of Eun Ji. “To answer your question Hana, we’re sitting together because we had to talk about actual business.” His arm slowly reached out to Tae Yeon and pointed at her. “But this dumbass brought you along because she’s already too tipsy to remember shit.”

Tae Yeon looked at Dae Sung, his finger, and back up at him before biting it. Young Hwa leaned back and groaned. “Can we have dinner without you two doing weird shit?”

Spitting his finger out from her mouth, Tae Yeon leaned back into her spot. “Naw because fuck you.”

“I’ll demote you so fast Tae Yeon you have no idea.” Jae Young returned and pushed her head into the table as he passed by. The bowl of lettuce in his hand gently placed down at his seat. “I guess you’re not entirely useless since you brought Hana over here.”

“What?” Hana decided to reach for the cooking bulgogi. “I thought this was supposed to be a serious talk between generals.”

“Yes and since you’re here I guess we’ll talk about you with you sitting here.” The straight forward and calm Jae Young returned as he sat in his seat.

It took a second to register what Jae Young had just said. Her eyes widened and the dim lights sparkled off her eyes. “Are you going to make me a-”

“No.” The unison of their answer was enough to shut her down. Very few things made them on the same page and this was clearly one of them.

Sun Hee began dumping meat into their rice bowls. “Can we at least eat the delicious meat I just cooked?”

“Not like you would like any of it.” Dae Sung didn’t look up to see her growling. Simply continued to wrap up what was given to him with a sesame leaf.

Young Hwa’s groan went up a crescendo. “I want a normal dinner for once please!”

“Thank you hyung.” Kyung Tae finally spoke up again.

“Someone agrees with me!” Young Hwa gestured to Kyung Tae who had already stepped out from the light.

“I also agree.” Eun Ji’s hand delicately reached for a sesame leaf. “We’re supposed to talk about things other than…” There was a small rock in her body, shifting in her seat before continuing. “You know.”

Dae Sung covered his mouth and began coughing. Tae Yeon laughed and gripped her sides. “Unnie’s just saying that because she plans on eating different meat tonight.”

Red shot up Eun Ji’s face. “Tae Yeon!” A shriek that pierced the ears listening.

Jae Young rolled his eyes and poured out a shot of soju. “Here, drink this and shut up.”

“Oh my oppa.” Beginning to fan her face with her hand. “Pouring a drink to your dongsang. How scandalous.”

The groan from Young Hwa came out louder as he lightly hit the table with his head. Mi Sook shook her head and took the bottle from Jae Young. “Look, I love talking about this kind of shit but I would love to finish dinner and talk about this at a bar instead of here.” The shot she poured for herself was already gone.

“I can’t believe Mi Sook doesn’t want to talk.” Young Hwa’s voice drained in defeat.

Eun Ji was fanning her face so the red would sink away. “Ok let’s talk about MEKA.” Taking in a deep breath before coming back to a more normal state. Her eyes looked into Hana’s and they smiled. “So Hana. The military has their eye on you.”

Hana blinked a few times, each bringing her brows into a deeper furrow. “When you say military do you mean like…”

“The marshal and other generals from other branches.” Jae Young was filling in now. “Before we were given our rankings, they would constantly ask about you. Now that we’re in this position we have to do something about it.”

“It’s not a bad thing!” Eun Ji was still giving a soft smile to Hana. “For now we’re going to focus on one thing.”

Hana nodded. “And what is it?”

“Getting you on a team.” Dae Sung cut in now. Hana took a second to realize that he had spoken. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not on a team.”

“Well, duh of course I noticed!” Hana chuckled and flipped her hair back.

Sun Hee sighed and put her chopsticks down. “Hana that’s not a good thing.” Hearing Sun Hee enter made Hana’s heart skip a beat. “The reason MEKA is composed of players from team based games isn’t a mistake. As much as I loved taking attention whenever we won, I knew that I wouldn’t be there without my teammates.”

“Right now it’s ok that you’re not on a team.” Eun Ji took back the microphone that was being passed. “They’re all temporary anyways. Once we get more mechs and everyone gets to understand each other’s fighting styles, we can make better teams.”

“But,” Hana couldn’t stop herself now. The words were already coming out. “I’m doing fine on my own right now. Gwishin has no chance because it’s easy.”

“Mhm.” Tae Yeon nodded, chewing on the food she had. “Hana we used to be teammates and I don’t even want you on my team.”

Those words coming from Tae Yeon punched her in the gut. “Unnie that’s rude.” Crossing her arms across her chest and pouting. “I’m a great team member.”

“That’s why no one wants you on their team.” Mi Sook had rolled her eyes back to the side. “Your persona isn’t a persona.” She tapped her chopsticks twice on the table and reached for the cooking meat. “And everyone had to learn that when we were recruited to MEKA.”

“Yeah.” Young Hwa was stepping back to the table. “Half this table have personas that are self centered, loud, and boastful or quiet, rude, and cold, but almost none of that translates to who we are backstage.” The wrap he had in his hand was folded up. “I might hate hanging out with half this table for long periods of time but they’re not completely-”

“Unbearable.” Eyes jumped to hear Kyung Tae cut Young Hwa off. Hana’s brows furrowed as she watched him eat a wrap and chew. Silence was filled with the chewing from Kyung Tae. Once he swallowed his food, he looked up to Hana and blinked. “You’re unbearable to be with and Mi Sook is my partner.”

Mi Sook took in a large gasp, placing a hand on her cheek, eyes wider than the bowl of rice in front of her. Her other daintily came down onto his shoulder. “This is why we love the quiet ones. So honest.” The hand on her cheek now over her heart.

“I could say the same exact thing about Sun Hee.” The shot of soju was in hand and already going down.

Sun Hee snapped at him, scowling. “Better than being a spineless coward.”

The shot glass hit the table as he let out a satisfied sigh. “It’s called being cautious darling, something you don’t seem to understand.”

Eun Ji’s arms flew out to the different sides of the table. Reaching for everyone to sit back. “Stop it! We’re getting distracted.”

“Not really.” Dae Sung picked up the rest of the meat sitting on the grill. “We told Hana what she needs to know, now we can just say dumb shit.” The meat was dunked into the gochujjang.

Tae Yeon rolled her head and stretched her arms up. She looked back to a lady in the restaurant. “Excuse me! Can we get two plates of galbi and three more bottles of soju?” The lady nodded and headed her way to the back. Turning her attention to the last bottle of soju on the table. “Alright let’s just eat and drink then. No more of this serious talk.”

Hana watched as Tae Yeon opened the bottle, her arms reaching out for the opportunity. “Unnie I’ll do it!” The bottle was snatched and now in Hana’s hands. She smiled as she reached out for everyone’s shot glasses and began pouring into them.

Passing the first one to Tae Yeon who quickly picked it up and shoved it at Eun Ji. “Unnie drink already. You’ve held it off and now we’re done with our talks.”

“Ah…” Eun Ji shook her head. “I don’t really want any.”

“Oh come on.” Tae Yeon scowled at her.

Hana passed the next shot over to Kyung Tae. Jae Young sighed and reached his arm to Kyung Tae, motioning him to give him the shot.

“You’re the only one who isn’t even buzzed.” Tae Yeon still pushing the shot to Eun Ji. “Look even Jae Young is taking one.”

Jae Young grabbed the shot in Tae Yeon’s hand and rolled his eyes. “Shut up Tae Yeon.” Placing one shot down to put the one he took from Tae Yeon into Eun Ji’s hand. Once she held it, he picked up the shot he put down again and clinked it against hers. In one sweeping motion he linked his arm with hers. Eun Ji’s eyes brightened and smiled. The two threw their heads back and downed the shots.

The table began to clap with Mi Sook fanning herself and Dae Sung snapping. The couple coughed as they reeled back from the shot they took. Jae Young took the two shot glasses and pushed them away. “Will you leave us alone now?” Pointing at Tae Yeon.

“I hate that kinda shit but I’ll take it since you got Eun Ji to drink.” Her tongue sticking out and passing the next shot Hana poured. “But that just means you two have to take another for the table cheers.”

Eun Ji was fanning her face and still coughing. “That was awful what brand is this?”

“Rude!” Sun Hee grabbed her shot glass. “It’s only Busan’s favorite soju, C1 Soju.”

“Sorry, I just haven’t drank in a long time.” Her face already turning red as her new shot glass was placed in front of her.

Hana poured her own shot and put the empty bottle down. “Ooo can I make the toast?” Everyone glanced at each other and exchanged shrugs. Hana giggled and stood up. “A toast to MEKA and the cool things we’re gonna get!”

“To MEKA!” The table chimed together, reaching their shot glasses up to clink them together. Hana smiled and sat back down to take the soju shot. Normal conversation immediately sprouted between everyone. Tae Yeon playfully wrapped her arm around Hana and ruffled her hair. Dae Sung and Young Hwa chastising her about something while Sun Hee and Mi Sook joined in. Kyung Tae occasionally placing his words while Eun Ji and Jae Young watched.

* * *

 

“Ah!” Tae Yeon skipped out of the restaurant. “Oh my goshie it’s only twenty-one o’clock. Time to hit the pc rooms!”

Sun Hee counted everyone and skipped ahead. “We can make two whole MOBA teams if we find one more person!”

Mi Sook skipped along with her and linked their arms together. “Are you going top?”

Sun Hee turned her face to Mi Sook and touched their noses together. “I’m always on top.”

The two began giggling as they stumbled arm in arm. Sun Hee turned to Dae Sung and reached her hand out to him. “Are you going bot with Mi Sook or going to slip in the mid of this relationship?”

Before the words spilled out of Dae Sung’s mouth, Kyung Tae tip-toed up and swooped under Mi Sook’s arm. “Honestly you might have to help Sun Hee noona top because she wouldn’t be able to handle us bot.”

Mi Sook hollered and spun Kyung Tae around. “The thunder is rolling in faster!”

“Wait what about us?!” Tae Yeon grabbed Young Hwa and Hana’s hands and lifted them into the air.

Hana jumped up and down. “I wanna be on Eun Ji unnie’s team!” Letting go of Tae Yeon’s hand and skipping to Eun Ji. “Unnie lemme be on your team!”

Young Hwa took his hand back and walked backwards to Eun Ji. “If being on this team means avoiding Tae Yeon, I’ll join it.”

“Fine! I’m jungle!” Her arms crossing her body and foot stomping, pouting as she stepped away from Hana and Young Hwa.

“Well…” Eun Ji’s hands started to fidget. “I don’t know… I’m really tired and-”

“Only one game.” Jae Young stumbled forward as he gently pulled Eun Ji under his arm. “Us four versus you five.”

Dae Sung snorted. “Honestly the only way fair way to beat you two would be five versus three.”

Eun Ji frowned at the words. “Ah no way!” Her hands waved in front of her. “We’re not that good! We haven’t even properly played in months.”

“Oh my god Eun Ji take the compliment.” Jae Young rolled his eyes as he began to lead the group. “One of you Busan people pick a pc room.”

“Ooo!” Tae Yeon hopped to the front and pointed one of the many buildings littered in lights. “My friends and I went to this one whenever we came to this part of the city! Come on!” In a snap she had taken off. Soon Sun Hee took off with Mi Sook, Kyung Tae, and Dae Sung tailing behind. Young Hwa threw his head back in a sigh before taking off after them.

Hana giggled and skipped forward to catch up. “Are you sure you want to play?” The momentum she had stopped and the skip came to a halt. She turned back to see Eun Ji looking up at Jae Young. Her eyebrows furrowed up with her lips falling down.

“Do you want to play?” Turning his head to look down at her.

“Uh…”

“You don’t have to say no for me.”

The frown quickly turned into a scowl. “And you didn’t have to take my drinks. You had way too much.”

Jae Young’s eyes rolled again and landed onto Hana. “Whatever, it’s just easier to follow them.” The arm he had around her loosened and let her go as his stride lengthened. Passing Hana he gently pushed her forehead with his finger.

“Owie!” Hana dramatically fell back and rubbed her head. The lack of response turned her attention to Eun Ji. “Unnie what’s wrong?”

“Hm?” Eun Ji blinked wide eyed at Hana. “Nothing.”

“Ehhh unnie don’t lie.” Hana swayed back and forth, taking her steps sideways. Seeing Eun Ji like this was always entertaining to her.

“Well…” Eun Ji began to join Hana in her swaying. “Jae Young just doesn’t like it when I drink too much so when the others tell me to, he’ll take my drinks.”

The new information baffled Hana. “Eh? Are you a bad drunk?”

“No it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?!” Her hands now grasping at Eun Ji’s arm.

“It’s…” Eun Ji looked away from Hana and gently lifted her hands off her arms. “Not that important. At least to you.” Taking steps ahead of Hana.

Hana pouted and skipped back to Eun Ji’s side. “Fine it’s not important to me.” Dramatically crossing her arms across her chest and looking away. Letting their footsteps fill the silence between them.

“Well…” Hana cocked her head back at Eun Ji. Her hands fidgeting over each other. “How about if we win I can tell you something that is important.”

Hearing those words made Hana bounce. “Really?!”

She could see the dread creeping into Eun Ji’s eyes. “Yeah just nothing too personal… ok?”

“Don’t worry unnie!” Hana gently grabbed both of her hands and smiled. “I already know what I want to know.” Giving her the biggest smile she could. “Come on let’s go win!” The bounce became a sprint to catch up with everyone, dragging Eun Ji behind her.

* * *

“Flank flank flank!”

“I am flanking!”

“You missed all of your shots!”

“Fuck! No one saw me teleporting in?!”

“Heal me heal me heal me!”

Screams were exchanged between Tae Yeon, Dae Sung, Sun Hee, Mi Sook, and Kyung Tae. The alcohol coursing through their blood into their fingers and heads. Word had caught on about the challenge and a handful of other MEKA members had come to watch. Most of them on the side with Eun Ji and Jae Young. Their PCs lined up back to back with only the desk walls separating them. Shakes from the constant smashing at the keyboard and mouse made the whole experience more interesting. Hana stuck her tongue out as her fingers mashed into the keyboard. Things were blurry on the screen but she was hitting them.

“You stupid bitch! Why didn’t you kite around me?!”

Hana’s side was silent compared to theirs. Eun Ji and Jae Young occasionally calling out the next engage and move. Young Hwa simply followed up with his status. The four versus five match ended up leaving them without a jungler, however their towers stood.

“Tae Yeon you fucking suck!” The indistinguishable voice of Dae Sung rising up.

“Fuck you I don’t play MOBAs!”

“Why the fuck did you even pick jungler?” Sun Hee’s trill took over now.

“Because every single one of you had a role already and this was the only one available!”

“Get good bitch.” Young Hwa yelling from their side.

“I’ll rip you apart in like five minutes!” Tae Yeon’s voice started to lose its energy.

“Oh good.” Now Eun Ji chimed in. “We only need five more minutes to win.”

Hana laughed as another tower fell and the louder side groaned.

“Our death timer is up to a minute this is game.” Kyung Tae’s arms were in the air, waving for mercy.

Mi Sook sniffled as her arms followed up. “Unnie, oppa, please end our misery! I can’t support this shit team!”

“No problem.” Jae Young gave a thumbs up while still tapping at his keyboard. “Hana, Young Hwa just push mid. They’re down damage and support.”

“I’ll take down the rest of them.” Eun Ji chimed in. “I can shred the tanks and delete the squishy.”

Eun Ji’s character walked off into the jungle. Hana, Young Hwa, and Jae Young continued to attack the middle lane. In a short second the game announces a triple kill along with the other side screaming.

“Sun Hee you said you had full health!” Dae Sung was now breaking his voice.

“I did but it got deleted!”

Announcements from the game continued as towers and inhibitors fell. Soon the victory animation played. Hana jumped up to her feet and hollered. “We don’t even play this game like you guys and we won!”

“Yeah seriously.” Jae Young stood up and stretched. “Three out of five of you play this game professionally and you lost to us.”

“Fuck off!” Sun Hee returned a friendly gesture. “We had way too much to concentrate on this game.” Her arms crossed as she pouted in her seat. “Plus we had to verse you two.” Pointing at Eun Ji and Jae Young.

Eun Ji laughed and stuck her tongue out. “Don’t make excuses.” Getting up from her seat to lean over the desk wall.

“Oh yeah no excuse here.” Kyung Tae smirked. “We just versed the world’s greatest adc support duo in the world in a game they don’t play professionally while intoxicated.”

“We are not the greatest!” Eun Ji was now pouting at everyone. “We’re just really good.”

Dae Sung threw his head back in a groan. “Say whatever you want to say noona. Doesn’t change the fact that you two still hold that title.”

“Only in the game we play.”

As Eun Ji spoke, Jae Young wrapped his arms around her and gently let his weight fall onto her. “We are the greatest so fuck off.”

“Ugh whatever.” Tae Yeon pushed her chair back and pouted. “I can’t play another game with these people.”

“How about…” Hana leaned over the wall and took quick glances at everyone. “Another round?”

Mi Sook scowled at her. “You better mean a round of drinks because honestly I cannot believe we lost.”

“Duh obviously!” Throwing out her best cheeky smile.

Sun Hee slammed the table and leapt to her feet. “I know a place that has really good custom drinks. Let’s go there!”

The group agreed including others who came to watch. Hana clapped and grabbed Eun Ji’s arm. “Unnie we won! So let’s go out and tell each other things!”

Eun Ji giggled as she stumbled with jae Young’s weight still leaning on her. “Ok fine. But only because of you.”

Hearing the words made her heart flutter. “Yay!” In a beat she skipped out dragging Eun Ji and Jae Young behind. The rest of the bodies shuffled out following Sun Hee to the next destination.

* * *

The bar filled up with bodies. Along the way they picked up more MEKA members who wanted a place to chill. Four tables had to be pushed together to fit the group into a corner in the back. All hands had some kind of drink in them. Fruits and straws poking out in different ways. Tae Yeon and Mi Sook sat to the left of Hana while Eun Ji and Jae Young were to the right. Sun Hee, Dae Sung, Young Hwa, and Kyung Tae sat in between them.

“This place is owned by this couple who went to America to study abroad. But then they came back to Busan after they finished and opened up this place.” Sun Hee swirled the straw in her drink around. “Something about how they loved American drinks but still wanted that Korean drinking culture. So they just mix the greatest shit together.”

Eun Ji picked out the strawberry in her drink and bit into it. “It is really good!”

“Noona.” Dae Sung rolled his eyes. “You literally only ate the strawberries so far.”

Everyone laughed as she covered her face. “That’s because they’re the best part!” Playfully wailing at the laughter.

Hana smiled as she took in a large sip. Something with lots of oranges and grapefruit. “Unnie.” The grin on her face showed as many teeth as possible. Eun Ji turned to her, eyes wide and wondering. “Since we won can I find out something important to me?”

Now everyone’s eyes had turned to Hana. Eun Ji slowly bit the strawberry, still wide eyed, and nodded. “Yeah sure. What is it?”

One elbow hit the table followed by the next. Hana placed her cheeks onto her hands and leaned into the table. “I wanna know…” More bodies moved into the table, eyeing the two. “How you and Jae Young oppa became the world’s greatest adc support duo and the greatest esports couple.” The stupid grin she had slapped on stayed on.

Bodies flew back from the middle and a small cheer overcame the group. Eun Ji covered her face and shook it. “Stop we’re not that great!”

Jae Young took in a huge breath and sighed. Grabbing the drink in front of him and taking in several big gulps. “You did this to yourself Eun Ji. I’m not answering this one.”

Tae Yeon and Mi Sook leaned in and cooed together. “We haven’t heard this story.”

Young Hwa rolled his eyes, gripping at his cup. “Can’t we just leave noona and hyung alone? Literally only MEKA knows about this and we can’t risk this becoming public.”

“You’re hilarious Young Hwa.” Dae Sung gently nudged his elbow into Young Hwa’s arm. “It’s a Tuesday night, no holiday, and pretty much only MEKA has been roaming around the streets. This area is basically shut down for us because we would cause a public disturbance.”

“Ugh fine!” Throwing his head back in defeat. “Tell the story noona.”

Eun Ji took in a deep breath and uncovered her face. “Ok well… I’ll skip the boring beginning.”

“No way!” Hana slammed her arms down. “I wanna know all of it!”

“Well…” Her hands began to fidget as she scratched at her arm. “It’s not the most uplifting story and-”

“It’s depressing ok?” Jae Young spoke up in a second with a blackberry in his mouth. “Just let her start wherever.” His arm slipped under hers and linked them together.

Eun Ji smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “Ok I guess I’ll start with the spring split.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Choong sung" is the salute in the Korean Army  
> "Baddeul-eo chong" would be the equivalent to 'attention' in English, however has a totally different meaning
> 
> I have added more to chapter one after seeing it unfit to start chapter two. I apologize for confusion.


	2. Strawberry

2069

Eun Ji’s thumb pressed down onto the screen and quickly flipped it up. Letting the page scroll with words zipping past her eyes. Nothing in esports was exciting today. More about Incredible Miracle losing and SKT winning. It was all the same.

“The train is approaching.” The lady’s voice coming over the intercoms.

In no time Eun Ji drowned out her voice with the news articles. Flipping through more and more. For a split second she saw something new. Her thumb pressed back down and slowly scrolled back to the title.

‘Recruiters begin their search for the future of esport athletes!’

It was that time again. Recruiters from different teams going out to find random hidden talent and grow them into professionals. The soft sigh escaped her mouth. She was too old for a miracle like that. Now a days gaming had become what the music industry was. Finding young talent and grooming them to become stars. Entertainment grew from just music, tv, and movies into the gaming industry.

Quickly her thumb flipped up the page for the news articles to start zipping past her eyes again. The zoom of the train began to slow and come to a halt. Doors opened and bodies began to exit. Without looking up from her phone, Eun Ji stepped onto the train and sat down. Her thumb leaving news articles and going onto forums for different news.

Titles were more interesting and more niche topics began to pop up. The zipping of words came to halt as she slowly read through different forums. Just fake drama between different players and theories of possible new players from the pc rooms. Soon she found her eyes rereading a forum title.

‘Strawberry theories?’

Someone else was talking about her. Eun Ji’s heart leapt out into her throat. Her thumb trembling as it slowly scrolled down.

‘Strawberry has been tearing down the leaderboard in SMITE duel lately. They made an appearance a few years ago according to their profile. Now it’s like they just crumple up anyone who challenges them. Do you think a recruiter would recruit them?’

There was no going back. Her eyes ate up as many comments as they could.

‘Oh man I versed Strawberry recently and I didn’t even have the chance to surrender!’

‘If they got recruited that would be pretty cool.’

‘Eh idk if they’re super young maybe. Recruiters are picky.’

‘There’s no way that they’re that good. Probably just a hack.’

‘K k I bet they’re secretly some old person with no friends!’

A tiny smile spread onto her face. Most of the comments and discussion were positive. The breath she held in escaped. Almost all the forums about her were positive but it still didn’t change her initial reaction. Her brain wandered back to when people first started talking about her. Being constantly asked for a face reveal and to start streaming. One of things had been fulfilled but it wasn’t often enough because of the lack of her own pc.

Eun Ji looked up to see where the train was. Only a few more stops before she could get off.

* * *

Bodies rushed to set the stage up. Things getting swept left and right, lights turning on and off, and microphones being spoken into. The two teams already came to do warm ups while they tested screens. The noise was soothing.

“Oh Sang Wook.” A man’s voice rose above the noise. “We have a request.”

Sang Wook turned to see a stage manager approaching him. “What’s the request?”

The stage manager flipped up a tiny screen to read off it. “A player on SKT suddenly got ill and can’t play today. It’ll take them a while to get their backup which will delay when the game starts.”

“Oh?” Sang Wook cocked his head to the side. “Shouldn’t they have someone with them already?”

The stage manager shook his head. “Today they didn't so they have to pull some strings. Something about putting a rookie in place for now. But Incredible Miracle and SKT suggested that instead of delaying the game and the audience, that they put on some kind of mini match. Since you’re in charge of announcements and timing, what do you think?”

Sang Wook placed his hand under his chin and scratched it. After a second he nodded. “I do have an idea. Let me see the coaches of both teams and run it by them.”

“Of course sir.” The stage manager flipped the screen down and bowed before walking away. Sang Wook smiled and headed to find team coaches.

* * *

“A duel match?”

“Yes a duel match!” Sang Wook pumped his fists up. “Duel matches are just long enough for SKT’s backup to arrive and get ready while keeping the audience entertained.”

Incredible Miracle’s coach clicked his tongue. “None of my players know duel matches enough to even make an interesting game.”

“Coach Won might not have someone, but I do.” SKT’s coach spoke up. “Joon Ho plays duel games in his free time to practice by himself.”

Sang Wook nodded and put his hands together. “So coach Seo will bring Snoopy in for this match since he’s used to playing duel matches. Coach Won you don’t have anyone on your team.”

“That’s correct.”

“Ok I have an idea.” The big smile showing as many teeth as he could spread on his face. “I know someone who can help!” The coaches looked at each other and back at Sang Wook. “Have you heard of Strawberry?”

* * *

The train came to a halt. Bells dinged and the woman’s voice came over the intercom. Eun Ji ignored everything and hopped off. Voices were just mumbles and words didn’t sound like anything. Her legs moved in the usual pattern and direction. Passing through the bodies and up the stairs to see the sun reaching out to the land. Her pace slowed as they came onto the bridge.

Looking down into the water as she crawled along the railing. Her mind wandered as she watched the waves lapse over each other. It was too early to think about taking action. Someone would see and the new tech installed would notify someone immediately. Her hand pushed her away from the railing and into the middle of the sidewalk. Just another day in her way.

_ Bzt! Bz bz bzt! _

Her phone in hand began to dance. Eun Ji looked down to see Sang Wook’s name pop onto the screen. Tapping to answer, she placed the phone to her ear. “Oppa what is it?”

“Eun Ji are you on your way to Yongsan?”

“Of course I am!” She giggled hearing the excitement in his voice.

“Wait… You’re not skipping school or work or both for this right?” The excitement died as soon as it arrived.

Eun Ji sighed. “When have I never skipped work?”

“Eun Ji.”

“I’m not even in school anymore. I told you that last time.” Her eyes wandered back to the railings.

“Ok whatever this is now the most important thing I am going to tell you.” Excitement was back.

“What is it?”

“So SKT’s solo got sick and they don’t have their backup player with them!”

“Wait…” Eun Ji’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you calling to tell me that the game is postponed?”

“No just listen!” Sang Wook cleared his throat. “SKT and Incredible Miracle decided instead of having people sit around for an extra thirty minutes they want to do a duel match before the actual game.”

“A duel match? Why? No one cares about those.” Without thinking, she had wandered back to the railing.

“Because a duel match is just enough time for SKT’s backup to arrive and get ready. Anyways SKT says Snoopy will participate but Incredible Miracle doesn’t have a player who’s done a duel match.”

Eun Ji could feel her feet dragging. Weights stacking onto them as each step became harder to take. “Oppa please don’t say that you-”

“So I suggested that Strawberry comes and plays against him!” The words spit out and screamed at her.

“Oppa no!” The scream she let out brought eyes onto her. She could feel the blood rushing into her cheeks.

“Eun Ji yes! I told them that you’re already on your way and it wouldn’t even take long! Just tell me where you are so that they can pick you up instead of you taking the bus.”

Her hands were shaking. The left began to grip at the railing to try and steady herself. “Oppa I… I can’t do that! No one knows what I look like! I’ve never played in front of a real audience! What if I mess up? What if people don’t like my face? If I lose would people stop caring about me?” Everything was spilling out at once. She couldn’t hold back the waterfall of questions.

“Eun Ji listen.” His voice was flat and serious. “This is your chance. So take it ok?” Silence filled up between them. Eun Ji took the phone down from her ear and tapped at it. When she brought it back up to her ear, she could hear Sang Wook smiling. “Ok Eun Ji they’re sending someone to you now. Use that time to calm down ok?”

“O… Ok…” She waited for Sang Wook to hang up. At the click she brought phone into her hands and clutched it. Only a few minutes to calm down. Looking up down the sidewalk everything blurred together. She just had to walk down to the stop so the car could pick her up. Taking in deep breaths, Eun Ji slowly picked her feet up and dragged them to the stop.

* * *

Sang Wook jogged to the back door and swung it open. A black car rolled towards him and stopped. The door opened and Eun Ji slowly stepped out. “Eun Ji you made it!”

“Y… yeah… I made it…” Her phone still clutched in her hands. “Thank you.” Giving a small wave to the driver.

“Ok let’s get you ready!” Sang Wook didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her in. “Someone will help you with makeup and hair. They have a blank jersey for you to just wear so you don’t completely stand out. Oh and you get to meet SKT and Incredible Miracle!”

“Oppa slow down!” Eun Ji planted her feet into the ground and turned around. Her head came down into his chest. “This is crazy… and stupid…”

“No it’s not!” Taking her shoulders and pushing her up onto her feet. “Ok it is crazy but it’s not stupid.” His hands came off her shoulders and squished her cheeks. Lifting her face up to look at him. “We’ll go one step at a time. First let’s get you ready with makeup and wardrobe and the other stuff.”

Eun Ji Slowly nodded with her face squished.

“Great! Let’s go!” Sang Wook spun her around and took her by the hand. Going off to areas of the stadium that Eun Ji has never been in.

* * *

It didn’t take long to be dressed up. Someone gave her a plain white jersey to change into while someone briefly touched up her hair. Makeup wasn’t something she normally wore and her face was already different. Eun Ji lightly touched her cheeks. Turning her face in the mirror to look at every angle. It was simple and light but she looked so different. Maybe she could pick up something from Etude House.

“Are you ready?” Sang Wook’s booming voice entered the room.

Eun Ji turned around in her chair, hands still touching her cheeks. “I think so…”

“Wa!” Eyes popping out of his head. “You look great! And so professional!”

“It’s just a plain jersey and light makeup…” Getting up from the chair to meet him at the door.

“Sometimes little things make a big difference!” That stupid grin sat on his face. Eun Ji sighed and put her hands down to her side. “Let’s go meet everyone!”

A burning sensation crawled up her face. “E… everyone?”

Sang Wook nodded and before Eun Ji could say anything else, he grabbed her hand once again and marched out to the unknown.

* * *

They approached a door. Sang Wook knocked on it and waited. Soon it creaked open and a head popped out. “Coach Won can we come in?”

Coach Won smiled and nodded. “Absolutely.”

As he pulled the door open, the light flooded out and into Eun Ji’s eyes. Sang Wook happily marched in as she slowly followed. Five bodies in the room stood up in unison.

“Hello Mister.” Each bowing together.

“Ah don’t have to be formal with me!” Sang Wook waved his hands at them to stand up straight.

Coach Won smiled and walked over to the group. “This is Incredible Miracles male SMITE team.”

“Aaaaaaand!” Eun Ji didn’t see Sang Wook’s body turn to her. Without losing another moment, he had brought her out from behind him and in front of Incredible Miracle. “This is Strawberry!”

Eun Ji slowly lifted her eyes up to look at the team. Five familiar faces and bodies stood before her. Everything was shaking. “H-hello!” Quickly bowing hoping for her eyes to look at the ground to adjust. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Oh!” A higher toned voice spoke up. “You’re Strawberry?”

“Yup it really is Strawberry!” Sang Wook picked Eun Ji up from her bow. Her eyes forced to look at the five boys in front of her again.

“I’m Min Soo!” The voice that spoke first approached her. Smiling with both his mouth and eyes. “I’ve actually been following you for a while.”

Eun Ji’s eyes lifted up. The light now bounced off them, shining. “You… have?”

“Mhm!” Excitedly nodding at her. “I know you don’t stream often but when you do, I always try and watch. Too bad duel games don’t get attention from recruiters or teams. You could be on one by now!”

She could feel her breath being held up in her chest. “Th-thank you!” Quickly bowing to let the tension go.

Min Soo quietly giggled. “Well here’s the rest of the team.” Spreading his arm to the four standing behind him.

“Hi I’m Ki Woong.” The tallest one waved.

They went down the line and the one next Ki Woong spoke next. “Jung.”

“Nam Seon!”

Eun Ji’s head followed each one. They each smiled at her and she returned it. Next to Nam Seon stood the last teammate. His arms crossed over his body, facing the wall to his left. “Jae Young.” His eyes flicked over for a second and back to the wall.

The sharp tone froze her spine. Her hands stopped shaking and stayed in place. She already knew who they all were but seeing them off stage was different. Four of them had given her a warm welcome except him. Why was he looking away? Does he normally do this when meeting new people? Did she already do something wrong? Was there-

Sang Wook spontaneously burst into a laugh. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

Jae Young continued to look at the wall. Ignoring the shouting Sang Wook. The other teammates laughed. “Naw he’s just bad with girls.” Nam Seon flicked the back of his head.

The flick made him turn his head. Eun Ji got a full look at his face now. Expressionless but his eyes said otherwise. “Whatever.”

He didn’t say much but is enough to make Eun Ji’s skin crawl. Before anyone else could say another word, Sang Wook grabbed her shoulder and began walking out. “Come on Strawberry! You have to meet SKT now!”

Out the door without another word.

Reaching a certain point Sang Wook let go of her shoulder. “Are you ok?”

Eun Ji took in deep breaths to let her heart sit down. “Thanks oppa…”

He sighed and shook his head. “I know you’re not taking that interaction well, but that’s not unusual for him.” Their footsteps lightly bounced around as they headed to the next room. “I meet a lot of these players behind the scenes and I get to know a lot of them. Almost all of them are very nice and a lot of them are awkward and come off weird. But not him.”

The beating in her chest came down and started to settle. “What do you mean?”

“That kid Jae Young has always been nasty.” Sang Wook scrunched his face together. “Even back when he debuted onto the team, he wouldn’t greet anyone unless it was necessary. His persona is just a nice enough version of himself to pass as a decent human being.”

“So… He really is a cold person with few words on and off stage?”

“Yeah. But he’s worse off stage.” Sang Wook slowed down and stopped at the door. “Don’t worry you won’t be hanging around him a lot so you don’t have to worry about one sour grape.”

“Thanks oppa…” Trying to give the best smile she could. Seeing Sang Wook’s face was enough to know that it wasn’t convincing.

His fast paced movements had him already knocking on the door. “Is this Sang Wook?” The voice behind the door seemed far.

“Yes it is!”

Footsteps approached the door and it swung open. “Welcome. You must be Strawberry.” Coach Seo stood at the doorway, already looking at her.

Eun Ji quickly bowed. “Hello.”

Sang Wook gently pushed her into the room. “The one and only Strawberry!”

Upon entering, four bodies stood up and bowed. “Hello!” Once again everyone was in unison.

“I’m sure you already know everyone in this room.” Coach Seo walked over to the four. “As you heard our solo became suddenly ill, so for now you can only meet four out of five on the team.”

Immediately one stepped forward and bowed again. “Hi I’m Joon Ho! I’ll be versing you today.” He smiled and continued with what he was saying. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I always try to get matched against you when I queue for duel but I haven’t been lucky. You’re in Grandmaster right?”

Eun Ji tried to keep everything together. SKT’s very own Snoopy was talking to her. “Yeah I am!” The words blurting out of her mouth.

Joon Ho nodded while clicking his tongue. “I’m only in Diamond One but then again I only play duels for fun.” Giving a small shrug to her. “If you want I can show you the stage and teach you a bit about the stage etiquette.”

Eun Ji didn’t get a chance to answer. Sang Wook had already burst out again. “That sounds great! Gives me a chance to finish my duties!”

“Awesome!” Joon Ho started to leave the room. “Come on Strawberry.”

The smile in his eyes brought a wave of warmth over Eun Ji’s spine. “O-ok!” Looking over to Sang Wook to see him beaming. He began to march out of the room behind her. Eun Ji looked back over to Joon Ho who was waiting for her out the door. Quietly shuffling out of the room.

“Take good care of her!” Sang Wook gave Joon Ho a thumbs off before rushing to wherever he was needed.

“Will do hyung!” Joon Ho waved him away. Slowly shutting the door behind him. “So Strawberry.”

Eun Ji perked up hearing her name. “Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

A pause grew between them before she spoke up. “What?”

“Your name. It’s weird to use your username when we’re not in the eyes of the public.” He motioned for her to follow him. Eun Ji paced herself next to him as he headed towards the stage. “Same with everyone else. You can just call me by my real name.”

Eun Ji popped her mouth open and close. She had always called him Snoopy. “Ok… Joon Ho o… oppa… My name is Eun Ji…”

“Nice to meet you Eun Ji!” The warm smile spreading from his face and radiating to her. “Now I’ll show you how to get on stage and off. As well as-” He continued to talk about the different things about the stage and the etiquettes as they headed to back of the stage.

* * *

Lights went on and off as Joon Ho walked her through where to walk, where to stand, and other motions. Feedback occasionally ripped through the stadium followed by someone shouting. “Ok does everything make sense now?”

Eun Ji nodded as the clanging of a metal bar echoed. “Thank you oppa.”

“Awesome!” He gave her two thumbs up. His eyes flicked behind her and back. Footsteps stepped onto the stage and filled up the immediate area. “Do you wanna see which pc you’ll be using?”

There wasn’t a chance to answer. Joon Ho already walked past her and lightly tapped on her shoulder to turn her around. Eun Ji turned to see Incredible Miracle in their booth setting up their pcs. “Oh. I guess we don’t have that much time before they let people in.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna have you on Incredible Miracle’s side for the duel since it wouldn’t make sense for me to sit on this side.” Joon Ho gestured towards the booth and tapped on a panel. The door slid open and he entered. “Hey Eun Ji will be on this side for the duel. Is it ok if she checks it out?”

Min Soo popped up from his chair and took his headset off. “Ooo sure! I wanna know your key bindings!” Letting out a soft giggle. “Lemme finish setting up first. You’ll probably want to sit where Joon Ho hyung sits though just so it looks even to the audience and the TV.”

“Oh shoot that’s right!” Joon Ho lightly smacked his head. “Let me see if they want us to sit somewhere else for the duel match.” The door slid open again and he stepped out. “Eun Ji you can hang out here if you want. I’ll be back.” With that, he left.

“Oh your name is Eun Ji?” Min Soo got up from his chair and hovered to her. “That’s a cute name!”

“Ah th-thank you.” Her hands were fidgeting with each, wrapping over one another.

Another soft giggle left Min Soo. “Well let’s just say you sit where Joon Ho hyung would sit. Since he’s support you would sit there.” His arm stretched out and pointed at the left end of the booth.

Eun Ji didn’t want to look. She already knew every SMITE team and their roles. Slowly turning as the sweat rolled down her back. Min Soo gently tapped her back to push her towards the end pc.

“Jae Young hyung.” Min Soo reached out and pulled his headset back.

“What?” He didn’t turn his head to look. Just continued to mess around with the keyboard. The annoyed tone said everything to Eun Ji.

“Wait…” Before Min Soo continued he turned to Eun Ji. “Are you older or younger than me?”

“Ah…” Eun Ji watched Jae Young’s fingers hit around the keyboard. Min Soo’s voice entered her ear and left the other side. “You use the same key bindings I do.”

Jae Young’s fingers froze. Soon the chair swiveled around and he now fully faced her. “What?”

This time it was back to the cold air he let out before. Eun Ji swallowed the sharp air. “Y-yeah. We use the same key bindings…” Her arm stretched out to point at his keyboard. She could see it shake as it stayed in place. “A lot of people tend to keep the usual key bindings in SMITE because of how it’s set up compared to most traditional MOBAs. Since SMITE is third person the abilities sit at one to four. But if you change abilities to Q, E, R, and F it’s faster and more efficient for landing combos.” The tension she had built up suddenly flushed out her body. “This leaves Z, X, and C open for items and relics. Unfortunately you can’t change the binding for V so if you want to keep the tight nit area that leaves you with the shift and caps lock key. Personally I’ve set up the shift and C for relics.” Jae Young’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed and his body leaned back into his chair. “And we both happen to use the same exact key bindings.”

No one responded. The tension sucked right back into Eun Ji’s body as the silence swelled. Jae Young clicked his tongue and slowly turned back to face the screen. “Is that so?” The headset returned over his head and ears as he went back to what he was doing.

Eun Ji could feel Min Soo tapping his feet in place. Now his fingers tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see him beaming. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard him say to a stranger.” His voice was hushed but it was rushing with excitement.

“Nicest…?”

Before she could get a response, the door slid open with Joon Ho standing there. “Eun Ji, they said to sit at the pcs the solo would sit at.”

“Oh that’s my pc!” Min Soo hopped over to his seat and patted the chair. “Play around for a bit ok? The setup for us is crazy different from pc rooms.”

Eun Ji nodded and plopped onto the chair. That was already leads better from what she was used to sitting in. Her finger gently tapped on the keyboard and the air left her body. Everything was made for optimal performance. Now she had to get used to all of it in a handful of minutes.

* * *

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Sang Wook’s already booming voice amplified with the mic in his hand. Audience cheers were already waving over the stadium. Eun Ji clutched her hands at the bottom of her jersey. It was all happening right now.

“Now before we start I have to make an announcement.” The audience hushed and whispered. “SKT had a bit of a hiccup. Our beloved Key suddenly got sick.” The voices of the audience burst into confusion and chants for Key to get better. “Don’t worry he’s ok! But we’re still waiting on SKT’s replacement to arrive!”

That wasn’t true. Eun Ji had seen the player arrive only a few minutes ago. However, they had to prepare him. She gently peeked onto the stage to watch Sang Wook walking all over it.

“Now you must all be thinking that the game will start later and you’re right.” No one expressed anger rather they roared how upset they were over the game being pushed back. “But we have a surprise for you!” This got the crowd to hush. “Instead of having everyone wait we decided on a little pre show. A little duel match. Snoopy has volunteered to take part in this match. Please welcome Snoopy to the stage!” The crowd clapped for him while fans started to chant as he came onto the stage. “And we have a special guest challenging him today.” He had the crowd all wired up. “You may have heard of her online. You may have watched her stream. And you may have even versed her yourself!”

This was it. The moment he said her name she had to come out on stage. Face the hundreds of people sitting in the stadium. Cameras showing her face to even more people. The pounding of her heart against her chest hurt.

“Please welcome Strawberry to the stage!”

Eun Ji let go of her shirt and stepped out. The lights blinded her from every angle. She kept her eyes straight towards Sang Wook. The smile on his face stretching his lips out. If anyone had cheered, she couldn’t hear it. Everything was a blur. Reaching the middle Joon Ho bowed and she returned it. The two shook hands and immediately parted to enter the booth. So far so good.

“This duel match will start right away so that no one has to wait for the action.”

Everything was already set up on the pc. All she had to do was queue into the game with the code they typed in. Eun Ji sat into the chair and put the headset on. Clicking the ‘start game’ button and waiting for everything to load. She could feel her shoulders scrunching up to her body. Arms tense and her leg shook the ground under it.

The giant screen in the middle switched over from text animations to the god selection. Sang Wook jogged off the stage as lights dimmed. Microphones switched over to the announcers. “Snoopy will begin banning in this match. Remember bans here will be different from the usual conquest matches.”

Loki appeared on the screen for a second before a giant no symbol flipped over on him. “Snoopy has banned Loki.”

“Apparently he has a high ban rate in all levels of play for duel matches.”

Eun Ji looked through all the gods. Joon Ho was a support main and support gods were almost useless in duel. She clicked onto Amaterasu and banned her. “Strawberry has banned Amaterasu. An unusual choice for this match.”

Without losing a beat, the big screen showed Snoopy’s next pick and ban. “Chronos has been banned. Another usual choice coming from Snoopy.”

The sound effect for the next ban came immediately. “Strawberry has insta banned Chang’e!” Eun Ji searched for the next god. She had to take out every support that could play well in duel.

The sound effect rang again in the stadium. “These two are banning within seconds. Snoopy choosing Kali.”

Eun Ji quickly clicked on her ban. “Cabrakan has been banned!”

“He is fat Loki afterall. Seems like Strawberry is banning out support gods that have high win rates in duel.” Announcers were fast. Eun Ji searched for the next god and waited.

“Snoopy has now banned Poseidon.” The ban choice happened so fast only a few could see the god appear on screen. “These two really know their bans.”

“Chaac has been banned by Strawberry.” Another flash of the god passed on the main screen. “Only one more ban before we get to picking out gods.”

In a split second Joon Ho and Eun Ji banned one after the other. The screen flashed right away to a split screen for god selection. “I don’t know about anyone else, but those bans were too fast for me. I didn’t even get to see the model load!”

“Same here. But Snoopy has banned He Bo and Strawberry has banned Hel. Now it’s time for them to pick which god they will play as.”

“For those who have never watched a duel match, both Snoopy and Strawberry’s picks will be hidden until both have locked in.” The middle screen sat idle as the two picked out their god.

Eun Ji looked around the gods. Joon Ho had banned gods that were typically banned in duel. None of those choices affected her strategy. She began to type in the god she wanted and locked in.

“Strawberry has locked in her god.” In a few seconds the loud clanging noise for selection echoed from Joon Ho’s side. “Snoopy has locked in his god.”

Two gods popped onto the split screen. Each saying their name out loud. The crowd cheered as the countdown from five started. “Snoopy has chosen Erlang Shen and Strawberry has picked the Gumiho!”

“Erlang Shen is not a support choice, however he is a strong pick for Snoopy who is used to playing tankier gods.”

“Strawberry on the other hand has picked one of the most difficult gods in the game. Gumiho came out several months ago and yet there is very little use seen in the professional level.”

The game began to load in. Eun Ji took in a deep breath as her finger furiously tapped on the I. Soon the game came on her screen and the shop opened in a flash. Everything was bought in mere seconds and she began to leave the fountain.

“Strawberry has already left her fountain and has set out to her first objective.”

“The tricky thing with Gumiho is the build. Will Strawberry build to be focused on physical damage or magical? If Snoopy doesn’t frequently check her items, he’s at a severe disadvantage when it comes to buying armor.”

Eun Ji tapped at her keyboard to get into position. Gumiho always started in human form. Thinking through the possible ways to play knowing Snoopy’s style.

“Strawberry and Snoopy will both have to fight over the red buff at the start of the game. Whoever drops it will have the advantage for the early game.”

Red buff’s timer ticked down and the camp spawned. “Snoopy has already started to take down the red buff with no sight of Strawberry nearby.” The main screen zoomed into Joon Ho’s perspective before zooming back out to look at the from above.

“Strawberry is coming in from behind!” The gumiho ran in from Joon Ho’s side. A few people in the audience cheered as a fight approached. The camera now moved to Strawberry’s point of view.

Sounds from the red buff entered as Eun Ji approached. Erlang Shen’s model hadn’t loaded yet, but it didn’t have to. In a flash she pressed all of her abilities in succession.

“Strawberry has began the fight before she could even see Snoopy! Activating her two for the extra damage and throwing out a blind one!”

Within seconds the Gumiho landed attack one after another onto Erlang Shen. The crowd began screaming as the fight started and ended. “First blood!”

“And Strawberry takes out Snoopy by leading with a two, one, three combo and then using the stun from her ult to finish him off!” Cameras stayed on Gumiho and watched as the red buff was taken down and picked up.

“Snoopy did try to pin her down with his two and use the buff from his one to fight back but it couldn’t stop the rapid fire of abilities and attacks from Strawberry.”

“Strawberry has one advantage and it’s that she already has her ultimate due to the transformation being a huge part of Gumiho. She also came in from Joon Ho’s side, leaving him completely vulnerable to her attacks.”

“Let’s not forget that she correctly predicted his placement with the blind shot of her one. The slow allowed her three to infatuate him long enough to land a chain of basic attack resets and her transformation stun.”

A crowd chant began for Strawberry. It was simple but it caught on. Eun Ji felt her shoulders fall down as she took out the wave of minions. She was told that the game had to be around twenty to thirty minutes. It was only a minute into the game.

* * *

Eun Ji constantly flipped from the game, her passive, tab, and the time. Clearing minions while completing objectives on her passive to gain the extra gold and XP. If she didn’t watch Joon Ho’s items, she would be outpaced and if the game ended too soon it wouldn’t benefit anyone. Flipping through the protection items he had while clearing minions in the same second. It was still one zero and the tower that fell was Joon Ho’s. Everything was too slow for her. She could feel her shoulders scrunching up again.

“The first minute of the game left everyone out of their seats. Seems like Snoopy is trying to play it safe and Strawberry seems to be waiting for the right moment to strike.” The ten minute mark ticked by.

Another wave of minions fell and there was more poking. Eun Ji sighed and began to back. Tabbing for a second only to see Erlang’s mink form charging in.

“Snoopy goes in for a potential fight!”

A slow from her one wouldn’t result in anything. Eun Ji activated her three and ran backwards.

“Strawberry responds by walking backwards and let’s mink form hit her. A chunk of her health has just dropped!”

There wasn’t a chance to think.

“Snoopy goes for the pin and- Oh my god!”

A roar overcame the crowd. “Strawberry has ulted out of the pin!” The Gumiho backflipped as the blue circle from the pin landed as her body jumped back. Erlang Shen’s cone ult suddenly reached out. “There goes the Erlang ult and it just misses the Gumiho!”

“Gumiho was just out of reach for Erlang to grab her back into range for him to land basic attacks.”

Minions had gathered and the Gumiho jumped off one of them as she changed into her fox form. Leaping forward at the now running Erlang. Landing down on him and beginning a chain of abilities and basic attacks. “Strawberry used the her minion wave to push off of and leap towards Snoopy who would have been out of range.”

“The two three combo with the basic attack reset has left Erlang Shen with his health bar in the red.”

Erlang transformed into his turtle form, knocking up the Gumiho and circled around to run. Eun Ji dropped everything she had to worry about. Pressing Q to chase after him.

“Strawberry leaps after Snoopy and lands on him!”

“Did Snoopy forget the extra leap Gumiho has in her first ability?”

Landing onto the scuttling turtle, Eun Ji furiously smashed her left mouse down to land the remaining basic attacks. “The slow was too much for Erlang and Gumiho was able to shred through his shield and secure another kill.”

“That leaves Snoopy’s phoenix open for attacks.” Before they could speculate anymore, Eun Ji tapped around to move away from the phoenix.

“Strawberry is leaving the phoenix behind and seems to be heading for the jungle.”

The camera zoomed out of from the Gumiho and over to the top view to watch where Eun Ji was going. “She’s headed for the Bull Demon King!”

“Only at half health, Strawberry only has a few seconds to take down the Bull before Snoopy comes back up and heads over there.”

Eun Ji looked back up at the game time and smiled. Everything could be finished in five minutes. Bull Demon King’s ring came into sight and cooldowns came up. It was time to end everything.

“Rolling in with the her ult, Strawberry switches back to human form to gain that defense buff and burst it down with magic power.” The Gumiho rolled forward and the rosy aoe activated as fire was cast out. The short burst chunked out health and Eun Ji began kiting around attacks.

“Snoopy is back up and he is rushing towards the Bull Demon with mink form.” Erlang transformed into a mink and began running towards the jungle.

“He doesn't make it time! Strawberry has taken down the Bull Demon and is already heading out of the jungle.” As the Bull Demon crumpled to his feet, Erlang Shen came into view. The animation for the second ability was thrown out.

“Snoopy tries to pin down Strawberry again!” As the spear flew out, the Gumiho suddenly backflipped.

“Oh my god! Strawberry dodges the pin once again with her ult and leaps off of Erlang pushing him back and giving her that extra distance!”

Now the crowd was cheering for Strawberry. “The trickiest part about Gumiho’s ult is that it can be interrupted and once cast, you cannot change the direction you are moving in. She ulted to get out of reach of Erlang’s pin but was also to somehow know where he was behind her, ult blind, and land perfectly onto him to create enough distance for her escape.”

“There hasn’t been Gumiho gameplay as clean as this. Strawberry has successfully utilized every aspect of the transformation to let her win in every fight.”

Once far enough, Eun Ji pressed B and the backing animation played. Gumiho landed into the fountain and she finished up her next item.

“With Snoopy’s phoenix disabled, Strawberry has free reign on his side.”

“Looks like both Snoopy and Strawberry are headed towards red buff.” The screen split to show both perspectives. Erlang running from the jungle to the red buff and Gumiho running down the lane. Suddenly the Gumiho began to pick up speed.

“Gumiho’s passive has now hit the mid game! Things are spicing up as the objectives begin to benefit her in short bursts to assert dominance in the lane and buff camps.”

Erlang came out of the jungle and into the lane. Eun Ji pressed E and headed straight for him.

“Gumiho's two is active and is hungry for Erlang!” The nine tails came together as movement speed increased. Soon everything was in range. Eun Ji took in a deep breath. Cooldowns were up and she only needed a few seconds to win. Pressing Q to start it all. Gumiho leaped forward and took a bite out of Erlang.

“Gumiho leaps in with her one and starts another chain of abilities and basic attack resets! The two, one, three combo proving once again to take out Erlang’s health in a matter of seconds.”

Erlang quickly responded back with a pin, self buff, and a backwards ult. “Snoopy ulting backwards to try and avoid extra damage from taunting Gumiho and getting a heal but it doesn’t work!”

Gumiho rolled forward and transformed into her human form. Avoiding another pin and resetting cooldowns. “Strawberry ults out of another pin! Using the transforming roll to kite around Erlang keeping everything tight.”

Fire balls flashed forward and another kill was secured. “The cooldown reset has allowed Strawberry to finish off his health with a burst from her one two combo!”

Chants from the audience turned into screams and incomprehensible words. “Heading down the lane to a phoenix that’s still disabled and bringing Snoopy’s death counter up to thirty seconds!”

“This game isn’t even close! Strawberry has three kills, Bull Demon, tower, and now the phoenix. Snoopy is so far behind there is nothing he could do to turn this around.”

In a few seconds the phoenix fell. Eun Ji ran straight into the titan with only a few minions. There would be a few seconds for fire minions to reach the titan and Joon Ho would come back up. Max cooldown meant she had enough time to burst the titan down with both forms but it would leave her vulnerable.

“Fire minions have reached the titan. Strawberry has already made quick work with her one on the titan. Max cooldown has benefitted her greatly.”

Erlang’s model loaded back in. Eun Ji’s eyes flashed from cooldowns, time, and minions. There wasn’t time to think.

“Snoopy dives right in using his pin to try and take out the fire minions.”

“Strawberry isn’t even phased and just keeps kiting around to land as much damage onto the titan as possible.”

Eun Ji watched as Erlang approached Gumiho. If everything was timed, the titan would fall. It would start with the press of an E.

“Gumiho’s two activates along with her one. Maximum damage output onto the titan to dish out the most health.”

A mink approached her. There was an answer for this. A pink mist emitted from Gumiho. Erlang coming out of mink form and slowly approached the Gumiho. “Erlang’s mink form is interrupted by the Gumiho’s three. Infatuating him and buffing the fire minions.”

The pink mist faded out and Erlang returned to normal movement speed. Ignoring everything from Joon Ho and hyper focusing on the titan. She saw Erlang’s spear glow blue and pressed F.

“Another transforming ult as Erlang tries to land some basic attacks after activating his one. Gumiho leaping past and only focusing on damaging the titan.”

“It’s like Snoopy doesn’t even exist to Strawberry.”

Eun Ji mashed all her abilities in order. Everything was enough to bring the titan to its knees.

“A two, one, three combo all focused onto the titan and it is leaving a strong mark.”

From the side of the screen the long blue spear jumped out. The timer on her ult was at two seconds. As the blue spear hit her, the blue circle hit the floor and pinned her down. She didn’t have to dodge this one.

“Finally landing a pin onto Strawberry but it doesn’t even matter!”

The camera blacked out and went to the animation of Joon Ho’s titan falling. Eun Ji let out a huge sigh and fell back into the chair. A fifteen minute game that could have been much shorter was done. She could hear the screams penetrate the booth’s walls.

From across the stage, she could see Joon Ho take his headset off and stand up. In a short panic she shot up from the chair and yanked her headset off. She was supposed to immediately get up after the game finished. Quickly turning to leave the booth and get back to the stage,

“Can you believe that? Strawberry wasn’t touched one bit that game.”

“In a short amount of time she was able to build max cooldowns and penetration in both magical and physical damage. There was no way for Snoopy to catch up once she took the lead. Even with the protections he had, there was no way to out pace her.”

Eun Ji slowed her pace down and met Joon Ho in the center. He smiled and reached his hand out to her. “Good job Eun Ji.”

“Ah…” Her arm reached to his and gently grabbed his hand and shook it. “Thank you…”

Quickly they let go and Joon Ho motioned his head to the back of the stage. He turned and Eun Ji followed by turning and leaving off her side of the stage.

Sang Wook ran back to the stage. Pretending to be out of breath when he got to the center. “I don’t know about anyone else here, but I was at the edge of my seat!” His voice continued to echo with the crowd as he got the ball moving for the game.

Behind the curtains stood Incredible Miracle. Min Soo hopped forward and grabbed her hands. “Oh my god that was crazy! I didn’t know you could play the Gumiho that well!” He was shaking her hands up and down, turning to the rest of his team. “Wasn’t that crazy?!”

Three heads nodded together. Jung stepping out of his spot to give her a thumbs up. “Do you main Gumiho or something?”

Eun Ji took her hands back and began fidgeting. “Ah no. I’ve only been playing her recently to get her to diamond.”

Nam Seon shook his head and laughed. “No way. There’s isn’t a pro jungler who could play Gumiho that well. Saying you only play her to get her to diamond is insulting.”

“Ah…” Her hands now in fists, grabbing the bottom of the jersey. “Thank you.”

Before someone else could speak up, a crew member jogged up to them. “Strawberry, please follow me.”

“Oh ok.” Eun Ji’s eyes popped out of her head for a second. Turning to Incredible Miracle and waving. Four of them waved goodbye back. The crew member turned to head back and she followed. Passing by the staring Jae Young as she did. The same cold eyes greeted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using SMITE because it's the game I know best. We don't know any games that are played professionally in the Overwatch world so I am going to use current games.
> 
> Gumiho is a made up god for this story. If wanted, I can post a short summary about her. She is intended to be a jungle character.


	3. Milk

Some girl stood in their room.

Sang Wook’s voice rang in the room and bounced into his ears several times. Now this famed Strawberry girl was standing there barely audible. Min Soo already took off with his mouth. Chatting to someone he had never met before. She stuttered and fidgeted with her hands. How annoying. Jae Young huffed, crossing his arms as he turned to look at the wall.

“Hi I’m Ki Woong.”

“Jung.”

Great. They were saying their names down the line.

“Nam Seon!”

His voice rang in Jae Young’s ear. He could feel everyone’s eyes landing onto him. Guess that meant it was his turn. Quickly flicking his eyes over to her to get a look and back to the wall. “Jae Young.”

She was average at best. They made her look decent enough to be presented on stage. A basic jersey with basic makeup and hair. Then again, he only looked at her for a second.

Sang Wook started laughing. It was too loud for the room. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

He just had to ignore everything until they left the room.

“Naw he’s just bad with girls.” Nam Seon flicked the back of his head.

Jae Young quickly turned to Nam Seon. A small fire of rage flew out from his eyes. He could see Nam Seon lean back. “Whatever.”

“Come on Eun Ji! You have to meet SKT now!” Sang Wook grabbed her shoulders and dragged her out the door.

Coach Won gently closed the door and sighed. Turning to face the team, he could see his eyes sinking. “Jae Young. At least acknowledge the people in the room.”

“Why?” He fell back onto the couch behind him and crossed his legs. “The only person that mattered was Sang Wook hyung and he’s obnoxious.”

“God.” He could hear Jung rolling his eyes. “You’re the worst. At least look at her.”

It didn’t matter what any of them said to him. None of it mattered. She was a one time thing. A prop to be used for this distraction before the real game. Strawberry wasn’t someone to be acknowledging.

* * *

There were only a handful of minutes to spend before they made everyone get into place. Jae Young messed around on his pc before they called for those places. His mind running in circles about strategies for today.

A hand landed on his head and pulled his headset off. Pausing before saying anything to the offending hand. “Jae Young hyung.” Min Soo’s cheery voice danced into his ears.

“What?” Eyes focused on his screen. There wasn’t enough time for whatever was going to leave his mouth.

“Wait…” He could feel Min Soo shuffling and turning. “Are you older or younger than me?”

Who in the world was in the booth? Before he had a chance to turn the other voice popped up. “Ah… You use the same key bindings I do.”

The words made his hands freeze up. No one else used those same key bindings, it was literally impossible. He had created them to optimize time and space. Shaking out the thoughts running through his head, Jae Young swiveled around in his chair to look up at Strawberry. “What?”

“Y-yeah. We use the same key bindings…” He could see her swallowing air. Her arm stretching out to point at the keyboard. It was shaking. “A lot of people tend to keep the usual key bindings in SMITE because of how it’s set up compared to most traditional MOBAs. Since SMITE is third person the abilities sit at one to four. But if you change abilities to Q, E, R, and F it’s faster and more efficient for landing combos.” That timid, weak voice had slipped out of her body. Even her face tightened from her furrowed eyebrows and sagging eyes to composed and focused. “This leaves Z, X, and C open for items and relics. Unfortunately you can’t change the binding for V so if you want to keep the tight nit area that leaves you with the shift and caps lock key. Personally I’ve set up the shift and C for relics.” Jae Young furrowed his eyebrows together and leaned back into his chair. “And we both happen to use the same exact key bindings.”

She was done talking. Everything she had said wasn’t wrong. Taking all the words said to him and running it through his brain. As quickly as it left, the tension she held in her body came back and her face began to fall apart. How annoying. Clicking his tongue, Jae Young turned back to his screen. “Is that so?” Picking up his headset to put back over his ears.

He didn’t have to be facing Min Soo to see him dancing in place. Feeling that they had left his side, he took a quick glance over to watch her sit at Min Soo’s pc. Hands still shaking and face still falling. How was she supposed to be the great Strawberry?

* * *

“SKT’s backup is here!” A stage crew member yelled to the other members. Because of the duel match they had gathered everyone into one of the back rooms to watch from those tv screens. Heads turned as they watched him enter the room with another crew member.

Coach Seo got up to meet the player. “You made it. Let’s get you ready.” Gesturing the player to follow him.

Everyone turned back to face the tv. Min Soo looked over at SKT and opened his mouth. “Who’s that?”

“He’s a rookie. Stage name is Mandu. Name is Min Woo.” Yun Seok spoke up first from the team. “Coach Seo and manager Kang wanted him to fill in for some reason.”

“Our names are almost the same!” Min Soo’s cheery smile accompanied with a little sway was enough to make Jae Young want to leave.

The tv screen showed the camera panning around the audience and occasionally zooming in on groups of people. Once they noticed they were on screen, they would wave and the camera would move on. Only a few more minutes.

* * *

Cameras shifted to the stage as Sang Wook ran to the center. Taking a bow before the mics turned on. “Ladies and gentlemen!” The room could feel his energy vibrating from the stage. “Welcome to today’s match with incredible Miracle and SKT! Now before we start I have to make an announcement.” Eyes in the room were all turned to the tv now, waiting. “SKT had a bit of a hiccup. Our beloved Key suddenly got sick. Don’t worry he’s ok! But we’re still waiting on SKT’s replacement to arrive!” When needed audio for the crowd turned on. Chants for SKT’s solo echoed around.

“Quick make bets.” Yun Seok spoke up over Sang Wook. “I bet hard cash that Joon Ho gets stomped.”

“Dude. He’s your support.” SKT’s jungler, Kwang Min jumped out from the back. “No way he’s going to lose with how he carries you.”

Min Soo started to wave his arms. “But he’s only in Diamond right? Strawber- I mean Eun Ji, is Grandmaster and has held number one all season long!”

Now everyone was bursting with their thoughts. Going back and forth between the reasons why Joon Ho would win or why Eun Ji would win. Jae Young drowned their voices and stared back at the tv. What’s the use in debating over who would win?

“Jae Young!”

The unmistakable voice of his adc yelled at him. Not even taking his eyes off the tv, he yelled back. “What?”

“Who do you think will win?”

Now all the eyes were on him. Heaving out his nose, Jae Young could feel their curiosity growing. “Does it matter? In the end he’s a pro and she’s not. She can’t be that good.”

Silence grew between everyone. Footsteps from the hallway echoed into the room as they stepped in. “Hi. What’s up?”

Heads now turned to the voice, finally off of him. “Min Woo who do you think will win the duel match?” Yun Seok speaking up to break the awkward air.

“Well…” Min Woo thought for a second before answering. “I’m sure Joon Ho hyung can win.”

“Alright!” A thunderous clap rumbled in everyone’s ears. “That means four of us think Eun Ji will win and five think Joon Ho will win.” Yun Seok threw a five thousand won into the middle of the room.

“Snoopy will begin banning in this match.” Voices of the announcers broke trains of thought. Heads turned to the tv focusing on the action. “Remember bans here will be different from the usual conquest matches.”

Loki’s model loaded and was banned. “Snoopy has banned Loki.”

“Apparently he has a high ban rate in all levels of play for duel matches.”

Amaterasu loaded in and banned immediately. “Strawberry has banned Amaterasu. An unusual choice for this match.”

Chronos loaded only to be banned before he could speak. “Chronos has been banned. Another usual choice coming from Snoopy.”

“Strawberry has insta banned Chang’e!” The model for Chang’e didn’t have a chance to load.

“Yo she just banned two of his mains.” Yun Seok gesturing towards the tv. “This is why I said she would stomp him. She KNOWS his mains and he doesn’t.”

“These two are banning within seconds. Snoopy choosing Kali.” The ban sound effects played back to back as Kali’s model failed to load.

“Cabrakan has been banned!”

“He is fat Loki afterall. Seems like Strawberry is banning out support gods that have high win rates in duel.” Announcers mouths moved faster than ever to keep up with each ban.

“Snoopy has now banned Poseidon.” The model only flashing on screen. “These two really know their bans.”

“Chaac has been banned by Strawberry.” Another flash of the god passed by. “Only one more ban before we get to picking out gods.”

In a snap the next two gods were banned out and moved onto a split screen waiting for their god choice. “I don’t know about anyone else, but those bans were too fast for me. I didn’t even get to see the model load!”

“Same here. But Snoopy has banned He Bo and Strawberry has banned Hel. Now it’s time for them to pick which god they will play as.”

“For those who have never watched a duel match, both Snoopy and Strawberry’s picks will be hidden until both have locked in.”

“Quick!” Min Soo popped up before anyone else could. “Who do you think they’ll pick?”

“Erlang Shen.” Yun Seok pointed to Min Soo. “Joon Ho would pick a tanky god who could do damage.”

Before anyone could say what they thought would be the choice, the announcer's voice picked back up. “Strawberry has locked in her god.” The noise of locking in a choice rang from both sides. “Snoopy has locked in his god.”

The two gods appeared on the split screen and went through with their selection animation. Cheers from the crowd penetrated the microphones. “Snoopy has chosen Erlang Shen and Strawberry has picked the Gumiho!”

“The Gumiho?!” Everyone’s voices spoke out in shock. Covering up what one of the announcer’s said. Quickly hushing to hear any further analysis.

“Strawberry on the other hand has picked one of the most difficult gods in the game. Gumiho came out several months ago and yet there is very little use seen in the professional level.”

Jae Young snorted as the game loaded in and cameras panned around.

“Gumiho is hard to play even for pro junglers.” Kwang Min poked around with his words. “No one in SKT can play her clean enough to be a viable choice in competitive play. She has a lot of god potential and burst damage but utilizing her ult to full potential almost never happens.”

“That’s because it’s so limited.” Nam Seon slid into the conversation. The two junglers now going at it. “Once it’s cast you can’t change its direction and the cc protection is minimal. Plus it’s so complicated that no one can use it to its full potential.”

“It's not complicated. It just has a bunch of extra features that make sense. Bouncing off minions, allies, and enemies is a fun mechanic but it has a small player base who fully understands the utility of the ult.”

As Kwang Min laid out his position, the announcers started yelling. “Strawberry is coming in from behind!”

Attention back on the tv. The Gumiho ran to the red buff from Erlang’s side. A puff of pink bursted from the Gumiho as fireballs flew from her hands and landed onto Erlang. Before there was a chance to retaliate, an aroma wafted from the Gumiho and trapped Erlang into infatuation. As he slowly approached the Gumiho backflipped. Out of infatuation, Erlang threw his spear and it lit up in blue. A circle from the spear thrown hit the ground and the outer ring of the blue just barely hitting the Gumiho’s hands. The Gumiho landed onto her feet and pounced towards Erlang for a stun. His health bar falling into an empty rectangle.

“First blood!” The in game announcement rang in everyone’s ears. Cheers and chants from the crowd were from far away. In game cameras switched to the Gumiho’s point of view. The fox now biting at the red buff minions. All three falling and grabbing the buff for herself.

“Let’s not forget that she correctly predicted his placement with the blind shot of her one-” Jae Young was now hyper focused on the tv. Nothing the announcers said could bring him back from his thoughts. The fox kept biting at minions, clearing waves and gaining gold. Everything about that play was perfect. How could anyone pull that off?

* * *

The room couldn’t stop chattering. Every engage from Joon Ho was perfect but Eun Ji was faster and turned them into another push or kill.

The Bull Demon’s health fell to zero and crumpled to its feet. “Snoopy tries to pin down Strawberry again!” Cameras panning to a wide view of both gods. The spear flying from Erlang Shen. Suddenly the Gumiho backflips. Transforming into its fox form and leaping off Erlang Shen.

“Oh my god! Strawberry dodges the pin once again with her ult and leaps off of Erlang pushing him back and giving her that extra distance!” Mouths in the room dropped to the floor.

“The trickiest part about Gumiho’s ult is that it can be interrupted and once cast-”

“What the fuck.” Kwang Min began scratching at his head. “How do you blind ult out of an Erlang pin and manage to not only escape but also leap off to the push back and extra distance?”

“If half the current Smite junglers could even make two of the plays she did, they could bring down an entire team.” Min Woo finally speaking up from the back.

Nam Seon kicked his feet out and leaned back in his chair. “Rookie isn’t wrong. Gumiho is such a good god if used correctly and a big game changer. That is if you don’t fall behind on her passive and constantly check builds.”

“Looks like both Snoopy and Strawberry are headed towards red buff.” The screen split to show both perspectives. Erlang running from the jungle to the red buff and Gumiho running down the lane. Suddenly the Gumiho began to pick up speed.

“I want to say lucky passive but I can’t.” Kwang Min tapped his pointer finger on his chin. “She was able to complete every objective with her passive to be able to advance far enough for a constant advantage.” The fox ran towards the red buff. Gaining more speed as her second ability activated. “All she has to do is a one three combo with basic attack resets.”

As the words left Kwang Min, the fox leapt forward. “Gumiho leaps in with her one and starts another chain of abilities and basic attack resets! The two, one, three combo proving once again to take out Erlang’s health in a matter of seconds.”

A blue circle from the pin and ult cone quickly casted backwards before the model turned back to face the fox. “Snoopy ulting backwards to try and avoid extra damage from taunting Gumiho and getting a heal but it doesn’t work!”

The fox rolled forward avoiding the pin and becoming human again. “Strawberry ults out of another pin! Using the transforming roll to kite around Erlang keeping everything tight.”

Fireballs flashed forward at Erlang. Depleting his health straight into his death animation. “The cooldown reset has allowed Strawberry to finish off his health with a burst from her one two combo!”

Short work was done on the phoenix as it screeched into a puff of smoke. Abilities were activated at every chance from the Gumiho. Dishing out maximum damage onto the titan. Fire minion waves came and went as the titan focused onto them. Erlang Shen spawned back and quickly moved in to clear more minions.

“Strawberry isn’t even phased and just keeps kiting around to land as much damage onto the titan as possible.” More abilities activated as the titan’s health continued to be chunked out.

Every ability and basic attack from Erlang was side stepped or dodged with an ability. Transforming to reset cooldowns and avoid taking anymore damage. “It’s like Snoopy doesn’t even exist to Strawberry.”

Another two, one, three combo towards the titan to kite and deal damage. One last blue spear lunged out from Erlang. The pin landing onto the Gumiho and cameras going black. “Finally landing a pin onto Strawberry but it doesn’t even matter!”

Cameras panned on the titan reaching up to the sky before crumbling and exploding. Audio from the crowd was brought back up. Chants for Strawberry waved over the audience.

“Well that’s our cue.” Yun Seok stretched up and yawned. “I knew he’d get stomped by her.”

“You are the worst support.” Kwang Min followed getting out of his seat.

“That’s because I’m not support. I’m adc.” The rest of SKT groaned as Yun Seok gave two big thumbs up.

“SKT and Incredible Miracle to positions.” A stage manager popped their head into the room. The rest of the room got up and walked out the door.

Jae Young stared at the TV for a second longer before leaving his seat. His brows furrowing in and a scowl growing. His team ahead of him as he slowly followed. Looking at his shoes and feeling his hands ball up into fists.

Voices from the crowd began to grow in volume as Jae Young followed his team. The curtains coming into view with the lights bleeding underneath.

The lights exploded in a flash before dimming out again. “Oh my god that was crazy! I didn’t know you could play the Gumiho that well!” Min Soo’s voice staying as low as possible. “Wasn’t that crazy?!” His voice now travelling towards Jae Young.

“Do you main Gumiho or something?” Now Jung joined in. Jae Young kept his eyes low. Staring at the bottom of the curtain as it gently moved with with shuffling bodies backstage.

“Ah” Her shaking voice finally spoke up. “No. I’ve only been playing her recently to get her to diamond.”

Jae Young could feel his eyes glaze over. Something was reaching out from the bottom of his mind. Creeping over his thoughts and tainting them.

Nam Seon snorted out his nose. “No way. There’s isn’t a pro jungler who could play Gumiho that well. Saying you only play her to get her to diamond is insulting.”

It was insulting. Now his hands were shaking.

“Ah… Thank you.”

Slowly lifting his head to take a look at her. Hands were grabbing the bottom of her jersey. Pulling it down as she fiddled with it. Face hiding behind her hair as she tried to crawl back into a shell. Jae Young took in a slow, long breath. Holding it.

“Strawberry, please follow me.”

The four waved goodbye to her. Hands were still pulling at the jersey. His eyes scanned her face before locking at her eyes. She turned from waving at his team, her eyes lightly climbing up to meet his. Still large and filled with anxious energy. The air sucked into his lungs seeped out as steam.

* * *

“SKT takes another win!” Chants for the team took over the stadium. “Incredible Miracle didn’t stand a chance today.”

“I believe you meant to say they don’t stand a chance… ever.” The announcers laughed and continued the banter.

Jae Young closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He could hear chairs being moved and his teammates slowly getting up. There wasn’t any time to think about the game. Quickly the headset came off and Jae Young got up to exit the booth.

Fans always knew when to switch chants because now they began to cheer up Incredible Miracle. None of what they said mattered. As soon as they got off stage the chant would go back to praising SKT. Min Soo led the line towards the middle of the stage. SKT was being lead by their rookie stand in Min Woo. When the two met a few words were exchanged. Jae Young couldn’t hear over the noise of the crowd. Before he knew it handshakes made it down to him. They exited the stage and screams erupted for SKT. How typical.

In a flash Sang Wook came stumbling through and pushed the curtains aside. “Ladies and gentlemen!” The mic wasn’t near his mouth but his voice was already booming. A sneer drew across Jae Young’s face. Coach Won stood under a light at the end of the curtains. He could feel his lips curling back.

“Good job.” Fast, light, and simple how typical. Coach Seo glided past the team. He exchanged a glance with coach Won and continued to the other side of the curtains. “We will discuss later. Just pack up right now and head to the car.” With that he turned around and headed towards their room.

Min Soo looked back down the line and shrugged. “Something’s up.”

Before he could stop himself Jae Young let out a groan. “Nothing’s up.”

“His tone was way too quiet.” Min Soo broke the line and regrouped to meet Jae Young face to face.

“You’re just always on your toes.” Jae Young stuffed his hands into his jacket and huffed. If he said anymore they would stand there all day. He pushed past Min Soo and walked towards the room. It didn’t take long for someone to stop him.

A body collided into his chest. The person let out a small oof before stepping back and shaking their head. “I’m sorry!” It was her again.

Jae Young rolled his eyes. She was looking down at the ground and her shoulders were shaking. “Watch where you’re going.” Without another word he gently pushed her to the side with his elbow and continued towards the room.

Footsteps quickly caught up behind him. “God Jae Young.” Jung’s voice rang into his ears. “Would it kill you to be a decent human being for once?” The question didn’t have to be answered. He just wanted to leave. The door to the room was just out of reach. “You fucking asshole.” Jung’s words just barely left his mouth. Mixing with his breath as he sighed.

Nothing he said mattered. They would just get their stuff, go back to the house, and breakdown their game to discuss why they lost. Again.


	4. A New Idea

A lot of buzz was going around the house. Coaches and managers would eventually come out and talk about the buzz. All the gossip was unnecessary. Dae Sung hopped down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen.

“Oppa!” A high pitched voice called for him. Footsteps soon bound after him. “Did you hear about-”

Dae Sung quickly turned and put his hand out to stop the body from crashing into him. “Hye Ji you should know I’m the last person in this house to ask about the news.”

Hye Ji giggled covering up her mouth. “Actually you’re the second last person. Young Hwa oppa won’t even leave the practice room because of everyone talking.”

“Ok that’s true.” Dae Sung turned back to face his destination. “So why are you talking to me?”

“Because you haven’t heard about it yet!” She tailed behind him into the kitchen. “Coach Han told our team that the house will be having a meeting today.”

Hye Ji was right. He hadn’t heard about the meeting. Things have kept him busy and lately no one came to tell him about recent changes. Dae Sung reached for the refrigerator and pulled it open.

“Oppa we know it’s been a little… weird since Tae Yeon unnie signed onto a Jin Air.” He rummaged around while she spoke to him. “So I decided to come over and tell you!”

“Let me guess.” Dae Sung found a can of Nano Cola in the back and pulled it out. Standing up straight and looking down at Hye Ji. He bumped the door closed with his hips and leaned on the refrigerator. “The house played a game of rock paper scissors to see who the lucky loser would be to come and tell me this news.” His finger flicked the can top open and the soda fizzed. The frown on Hye Ji’s face confirmed the answer to his question.

“You’re too smart oppa.” Her lip curling back even more.

Dae Sung nodded looking at the can in hand. Bubbles fizzed out some more before the opening met his lips. Taking in two gulps before bringing the can down and looking right at Hye Ji’s eyes. With his free hand he reached out and placed it on top of her head. “Thank you for your kind and sweet gesture.” Pushing her back a little and swooping down to bring his face up to hers. Pink flushed into her cheeks and her eyes popped out from their sockets. “So considerate of the house to think of me in my time of mourning.” The pink turned bright red as he brought his face closer to hers. “I really really…” It was time for the finisher. Dae Sung’s lips grazed her ear and paused for another second. “Appreciate it.” Hye Ji couldn’t hide the sharp inhale she took in. A smirk graced his face thinking about the look she was making. Quickly he stood up straight and swirled the can around. Just in time to see Hye Ji trying to fix her face.

“Ugh you’re so weird oppa.” She flicked his arm and stomped out the kitchen.

Finally alone again.

* * *

Thirteen o’clock ticked and the entire house was almost on time. Young Hwa looked around the living room to see who was missing.

“I’ll give everyone five more minutes before we start.” Manager Kang reclined back in his chair and stretched his legs out. All coaches sat or stood around him. Murmurs filled up the room as they watched clocks tick.

Young Hwa twiddled his thumbs and sighed. He had spent most of the day practicing to avoid these exact murmurs and whispers. If he closed his eyes and just let his body sink into the sofa these five minutes would pass and-

“God I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.” A body plopped right next to him causing the cushions to jiggle. Young Hwa let out a deep sigh through his nose. Peeling his eyes open and turning to see Dong Geun stretching his legs out. “Have you been avoiding everyone?”

“Something like that…”

Dong Geun smiled and put his arm around Young Hwa’s shoulders. “The gossip this time isn’t even that bad.”

“That’s what everyone says hyung.” Gently pushing Dong Geun’s fingers off his shoulder. “Why can’t we just focus on our work?”

“Well…” The playful smile faded and turned into a tight lipped straight face. “Seems like these rumors point to some big changes in the house.”

Young Hwa’s brows furrowed. Taking a quick glance he could see others with serious faces. Only two more minutes left. “What was Tae Yeon leaving not groundbreaking enough?” It wasn’t a joke he would have made but it seemed to work for others to make these remarks. Dong Geun snorted and leaned back into the couch. Arm still gently wrapped around his shoulders. Only one more minute left.

Suddenly manager Kang stood to his feet and clapped his hands together. “Ok I see way too many restless faces so let’s just start.”

“Wait!”

Young Hwa groaned. That voice only belonged to one person.

“Whoops looks like I’m late.” Dae Sung glided into the room with a can in his hand. “Sorry I only learned about this meeting an hour ago.”

Heads turned to Hye Ji as she gently smacked her face. “What?! I told him about it!”

“Oh and I’m so thankful you did.” His voice purred as he passed by her. Placing his pointer finger under her chin and flicking her head up. “So what’s this meeting about?” Dae Sung finally reached his seat and made himself comfortable as he plopped into it. Hye Ji growled under her breath as her team chuckled. He always had to make it weird.

Manager Kang cleared his throat. Hands folding over each other as if warming him up for the talk. “As you all know recruitment season is beginning soon. Our scouters have been finding a lot of potential and as the summer splits begin we hope to have new rookies.”

There was no way the meeting was about recruitment. Rookies would come and go all the time. Was manager Kang going to talk about strategies for trying to keep rookies instead of losing them?

“Before we get a bunch of new rookies I decided to bring a particular player into the house before others.” The smile on manager Kang’s face explained a lot. Murmurs and whispers came back. “I believe it would be best to bring her onto the team as soon as possible.” Now the female voices overtook the buzz. The new player could be added onto any team. Manager Kang cleared his throat and the room fell silent again. “In fact, I would like three more to join her as soon as possible.”

Hands shot up into the air. Before manager Kang could pick a hand a voice called out. “What game?”

“These new players are SMITE players.” The SMITE teams began to chatter. There was difficulty in recruiting and keeping new players for the game. “I know that-” his voice rose above the talk and everyone was silent again. “SMITE has had a hard time lately. But I believe this new team is what this team and quite honestly what esports needs.”

“Wait,” Yun Seok shot his voice up. “Did you say new team? Isn’t she just going to be placed on the current female SMITE team?”

Manager Kang’s signature sly smile graced his face. “No because she is not the only one I am recruiting. I am also recruiting her partner. You actually know about him already. He’s quite established in the SMITE scene and has quite the reputation.”

Young Hwa looked over to the SMITE teams. They were all scrambling to figure out the information. Scanning the room he could see everyone else doing the same.

“We have met with her in the previous weeks to see if she wanted to join the pro esports scene. After she signed all contracts we had many hours of rigorous testing and experimenting for what role she will play.” Manager Kang’s gaze fell onto the female SMITE team. “Her skills are beyond many current players however she is unfit to be placed into a team that is already established. Her game playing history has been playing solo and she has come up with her own strategies to play the game in her own unique style. Making it difficult to add her onto an existing team.” The coaches began to fidget. Something crazy was about to be said. “This coming week we will have players outside from our team come to the house to continue testing a hypothesis the SMITE coaches and I have come up with. If all goes well we will create the first ever,” The room held their breath. Young Hwa could feel the oxygen being sucked out as everyone anticipated his next words. “Co-ed professional esports team.”

There it was. The punch had been delivered to the room. For once everyone was still and silent. Young Hwa held his breath. Hoping someone would speak up. From the corner of his eye he could see Joon Ho slowly raising his hand. Manager Kang nodded to him. “Is this new recruit… Strawberry?”

Young Hwa held his breath for so long he could suffocate. Manager Kang slowly broke into a grin. “SKT I would like you all to be formally introduced to Strawberry.”

Coach Seo stood up and walked to a door at the end of the living room. Turning the knob and the door creaked open. After a few seconds a head popped out from behind the door. Her hair fell in front of her face as her eyes scanned the room. This was wrong. The house had so many people and to have her meet everyone in one big room was unfair. Young Hwa let his breath out and sighed. “They could have let her just meet everyone one by one…” Whispering under his new found breath.

Strawberry slowly emerged from behind the door and shuffled over next to manager Kang. The male SMITE team all beamed at her and waved. Her shoulders were scrunched up as she gently waved back at them. “This is Kim Eun Ji. Best known as Strawberry. She has held the title as the number one SMITE duel player for four years now.” Manager Kang gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Eun Ji peeked out from behind her hair and let out a nervous giggle. “H-hi e-everyone.”

Kwang Min burst from his spot. “Eun Ji! Good job whooping Joon Ho’s ass!” That was enough to break the silence. Voices hollered and threw retorts at Joon Ho. Silence could never last for more than five minutes.

Young Hwa rolled his eyes and groaned. Manager Kang wasn’t even done talking. His eyes landed back onto Eun Ji. Her shoulders had relaxed and she pushed her hair back behind her ears. A warm smile appeared on her face as she giggled at the words being thrown around. At least she was feeling better. Young Hwa could feel relief wash over him. After a whole morning and afternoon filled with wound up energy, it could finally be released.

* * *

It was going to take a long time to learn how to get around the house. SKT was a massive powerhouse in esports which meant their house had to be large enough to hold all teams and trainees. After a week of walking around and getting lost there shouldn’t be a reason to still be lost. Eun Ji turned the corner and bounded down the stairs. This was the way to the common areas. Today is the day the coaches and managers tried something new.

“Eun Ji!” A familiar voice met her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Are you ready for today?” Joon Ho beamed at her. Always so welcoming and open.

“Y-yeah I think so…” Returning his smile Eun Ji continued towards the kitchen.

“Hmm… Doesn’t sound like it.” Joon Ho scratched his chin. “I know it’s been a rough week for you but SKT always strives to make every player the best they can be!” He raised two fists up and pumped them into the air. Eun Ji giggled at the motions. “We’ll figure out something for you. Together!”

Kitchen was in sight and Eun Ji could feel relief. She didn’t get lost this time. “Well… I don’t know…” Playing back the past week in her head. Countless hours of playing with different SKT players and team compositions. Every combo they could make was done and failed. “The coaches thought I would be best in solo roles like jungle, mid, or solo but I haven’t been able to… match with anyone else…” Each game with different set ups only ended in a loss. “I’m…” Eun Ji could feel her throat close up. “I’m not used to losing this much…” She sounded so pathetic.

“Hey.” The two stopped in front of a counter. Eun Ji tapped her fingers against the granite. “This is all really new to you. Most new recruits train for at least three years under a team before even being considered for a pro contract.” All this information was familiar with her. Becoming a pro player was harder than becoming a pop star nowadays. “You have to shove three years of training into just a few short weeks. And! You’re going to be apart of a co-ed team. That’s never been done before!” Joon Ho jumped a little raising his hands over his head and waved them. Eun Ji let out a soft giggle before her body could freeze up again. “You’re handling all of this really well!”

She wanted him to stop talking. Everything he was saying was nonsense. Every night was spent wide awake her nerves unable to calm down. There was a pile of tissues in her room trying to catch all the tears that run down her cheeks. Eun Ji could feel chills running up and down her spine. Spreading down her arms and legs into fingers and toes. “Th-thanks… oppa…” He didn’t mean to make her freeze up. It wasn’t his fault. It was hers.

“So…” Suddenly his voice dropped. From the corner of her eye she could see him looking around the kitchen. Making sure other ears didn’t hear. “I heard manager Kang wants someone from a different team to be your support.”

Eun Ji knew about the possibility of pulling someone from a different team but support was meant for a duo lane. She was only told to be the adc once and that was with Joon Ho. It went terribly. “Wh-what?” Lifting her head to look up at him. “Why do they want me to be adc? That experiment went horribly. And why didn’t they tell me?! I know someone was from another team was supposed to come today but I didn’t know it was to place me as adc.”

Joon Ho let out a soft chuckle. “That’s because I was your support. Your play style doesn’t match mine at all.” The smile was comforting but it wasn’t enough for Eun Ji. “Manager Kang says he found someone with a similar play style as you. But this player is a support player. Which means you would be the adc. Maybe they didn’t tell you just in case the player was a no show.”

This was all so strange. “Well…” Taking in a deep breath and holding it for two seconds. Eun Ji slowly let it out through her nose. “I’ll try anything at this point.” It’s not like she had a choice.

* * *

Eleven o’clock chimed throughout the house. It was lunch time now. Everyone in practice rooms quickly emptied out and those in their rooms hopped out to the kitchen. Not everyone had lunch at the same time but it seemed the house decided to eat together on certain days. Eun Ji shuffled out before bodies rushed into the kitchen. A small plate containing some fruit and a slice of bread. Making her way into the common dining area to find the smallest table to occupy. Voices from the kitchen were already echoing and filling the floor with noise. A table at the far end called out and Eun Ji gently placed the plate down and sighed. Only two more hours before her new support would come.

“Eun Ji unnie!” A high pitched voice called after her. She took in a deep breath before turning to see who the voice belonged to. Hye Ji bound after her and skidded to a halt. “Unnie are you excited for today?” Despite her high pitched voice she had incredible control over her volume. Speaking softly enough for only the two of them to hear.

“I… I guess I have to be…” Before she could say anything else Hye Ji looked at the table and frowned.

“Unnie this table isn’t big enough.”

The words took a second to register. “What?”

Hye Ji picked up her plate and began moving to another table. “That’s because the other female SMITE players want to eat with you.” Placing both plates down onto the table and plopping down onto the chair.

Gingerly sitting down in her new chair Eun Ji let out a sigh. “I-I’m sorry… This is all really…”

“New.” There wasn’t a chance to finish her own words. “Unnie you’re so good they skipped the three year trainee process and put you onto the team. I mean I only joined the female SMITE team this past season and I’m only backup for now.”

These words didn’t have to be repeated to her. The past week was everyone commenting on their three year training and how the great Strawberry was good enough to skip it all and be placed on a brand new team. “Ah… thanks Hye Ji.”

“No problem!” Hye Ji gave a thumbs up and went back to her lunch. The plate was filled with rice and sides.

“Hey dumb dumb.” Seo Joon approached the table with a tray of sides. “Don’t leave your teammates with the heavy lifting.” She put the tray down in the middle of the table and took her plate off of it. As she sat down she waved at Eun Ji and smiled. “Eun Ji eat up! Today’s gonna be an interesting day and you don’t want an empty stomach.” Seo Joon grabbed a small dish with fish and pushed it into Eun Ji’s face.

Most of the house noted her small portions. Eun Ji put her hands up and gently pushed the dish back down onto the tray. “No thank you unnie. It’s… Hard to eat when I’m… nervous…” That wasn’t the real reason but it was enough for Seo Joon to back off.

“Oh I get it! Yeah you do you ok?” More female SMITE players came over. Plates filled with an assortment of food. “So bets on who’s coming today! I heard from coach Han that it’s going to be a male!”

“Oh my god don’t make this a romantic thing.” Hyun Jung’s husky voice made Eun Ji’s nerves dance. She didn’t say much but each time she spoke it sent shivers down her spine. “Maybe Eun Ji likes girls like me.”

Everyone laughed and poked some fun at Hyun Jung. “Ok unnie so what team do you think they’re pulling from?” Hye Ji talked as she shoved a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

“Honestly, I’m thinking Samsung. They’ve been doing really well with all their teams lately.” Hyun Jung swirled her spoon around in the bowl of soup she had.

“That would mean it’s Ho Jin and honestly he’s not good enough for Eun Ji.” Seo Joon was always so quick with her words. “Plus he’s been a pro player for a few years now. I’m pretty sure they’re getting new blood.”

Yoo Kyung snorted and covered her mouth. “You’re just saying he’s old. Honestly I’m thinking ROX Tigers or KT Rolster. Those two teams have always had a presence.”

Hye Ji perked up again and quickly swallowed their food. “Oh my god what if they brought in Incredible Miracle?” There was a pause before everyone burst out loud. A few heads turned to their table and went back to their lunch.

“LOL oh please that team couldn’t win even against diamond players!” Seo Joon’s quick mouth snapped out again. “Plus that Jae Young kid is a total asshole and every single esport player in Korea knows that.”

“Hasn’t he been like pro for about a year now?” Hye Ji’s face told Eun Ji she already knew the answer but the smirk on her face told her she wanted something else. “That’s rough you become pro later than others and all you can do is lose.”

Hyung Jun rolled her eyes and flicked Hye Ji’s forehead. “He’s older than you so show some respect. That whole team needs to go back to training. Now…” She looked around the table and smirked. “Let’s go back to some  _ real _ teams.”

The table continued to throw around teams and names. Each one bringing up small debate over who would come in today. Eun Ji only wanted to turn into dust and be swept away. There was only an hour and a half left.

* * *

Thirteen o’clock popped onto her phone. Manager Kang was to come and get Eun Ji and go to the practice room together. Fingers began tapping against the counter. Waiting in her room felt weird and being in the practice room before she was supposed to be felt weird too. The kitchen was the only place empty right now. Other teams were in their practice rooms or out for errands. A minute popped up on the screen. She could feel her hand beginning to shake.

“Eun Ji.” Manager Kang walked in and stopped in front of her. A small yelp escaped her mouth on accident. Quickly bowing to try and hide her face. “Are you ready?”

“Y-yes!” Words coming out much louder and faster than she wanted. She could feel his eyes watching her. Snapping up from her bow and pushing the hair away from her face to try and brush out her energy.

The soft smile he always wore graced his face. Comforting and inviting. Eun Ji could feel her hands calm down. His head motioned for them to walk to the practice room and began moving. Eun Ji followed right by him. “So I know we didn’t tell you a lot of details of who this mysterious player is going to be.” That was very true. Only learning a few hours ago that the player was a support and a male. “But a friend of yours in esports told us it might be better not to tell you too many details.”

That had to be Sang Wook. “Oh… Thank you…” If she was told beforehand who it was her time would have been spent fixated on scenarios. Now it was all just a blank slate.

“You’re welcome.” The practice room edged closer and closer. “Is there anything you would like to know before we enter the practice room?”

Eun Ji thought about it for a split second. If she knew too much she would freak out before even meeting him. If she continued blind up until they entered she would still freak out. There was no winning. “Maybe keep it a secret…”

Not like she really had a choice. They were already at the entrance of the practice room. Manager Kang nodded as his hand reached around the doorway and knocked. “Come in.” Coach Seo’s voice called out from the room.

“Thank you coach Seo.” Manager Kang nodded at Eun Ji and he turned to enter the practice room.

This was it. Eun Ji took in a deep breath and slowly let it out through her mouth. Head up and hands folded she walked into the practice room to meet her support.

* * *

“Thank you so much for coming today.” Manager Kang walked over and stopped a few feet away. “Especially to you manager Ahn.” He looked at their group and smiled. “I know it’s a large and strange request.”

Manager Ahn shook his head. “It’s no problem. We could use something different in esports. I’m happy to help!”

A body emerged from the doorway. The footsteps stopped right behind manager Kang. “Thank you so much. I’d like to introduce you to SKT’s newest recruit.” Stepping to the side his body was now out of the way of the body that entered. “Kim Eun Ji or better known as Strawberry.”

Her eyes doubled in size and her mouth softly dropped open. He could feel the same reaction being painted on.

“So glad to meet you Eun Ji.” Manager Ahn gently bowed at her. She quickly gave a small bow before her eyes focused back onto him. “This is Park Jae Young but I’m sure you’ve already met him from a few weeks ago.”

Jae Young could feel fire burning in his gut. No one told him that today he was partnered with her. By the looks of her face it was the same story as well or perhaps she was just being obnoxious. Either way the information he received was to go to SKT and try out a new idea with one of their players. Nothing about it being with her. The managers and coaches were watching him. “Hey.” Pushing down the growing fire with every bit of might. His voice almost cracked trying to give out a simple greeting.

“H-hi again…” Her voice still as shaky as ever. Her hands began fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt. Folding over each other and pulling at the fabric.

“I have a few players coming in in just a few minutes. I wanted to have two teams play against each other. Allows for controlled games and to switch players around.” Manager Kang went off with his ideas to manager Ahn and coach Won. Coach Seo seemed to be aware of the plans and nodded along.

Jae Young took his eyes away from them and back onto Eun Ji. Her lips were pulled tight and eyes were drifting around as they looked at the ground. There was so much noise around him. The voices of the managers and coaches and the noise of Eun Ji’s nervous energy. Instead of listening to it he turned back to the pc he was sitting at and pulled the chair out. Placing the headset around his neck leaving the volume high enough to hear the game without wearing them. He could feel her eyes following him and landing onto the screen. Taking in a large breath and holding it before releasing it. He moved the mouse around and went to the gods page. “Who do you main?” Every word felt like it had to be dragged out from his throat.

“I’m… I’m diamond in every god…” The timid voice was starting to go away like last time. “I’ve never really properly played adc since most of my time is spent in duel but I know how to play every single god.” This is the voice he wanted to hear. Free from stutters and audible. “I know you tend to main flexible support gods like Chang’e, Ganesha, and Amaterasu.”

She really spent too much time in this game. “Yeah. I hate only sticking to guardians. Meta changes too much for that crap.” Now the words flowed out more freely. “I’m diamond in all the gods that can be a support role. Obviously I know all gods who can be adc. Physical and magical damage.” Jae Young started clicking around picking gods at random.

“I… I don’t really know what’s going on for today…” The quiet voice returned. Jae Young looked up to find her face next to his. It was a good distance away with her eyes fixated on the screen. “They didn’t tell me any details about what’s going on… I just learned that we’ll be playing a bunch of games with the other SKT players…” It wasn’t shaking right now. Instead it seemed almost somber. A new tone to his ears. “So… I guess we could play it safe and do what’s most comfortable to you. Just… Pick a support and I’ll find a god to match it. Nothing crazy though…”

The pause grew between them. Jae Young felt a frown form on his face. The fire was extinguished and the waters used flooded his gut. Eun Ji blinked a few times and her face changed. The shy stuttering mess was back. Her eyes turned to Jae Young and stared at him wide eyed. Almost like she didn’t notice that her face was in front of his. Pink flushed into her cheeks and her hands frantically reached for the chair next to her.

Jae Young clicked his tongue and turned his head back to the screen. “Yeah we’ll just keep it simple.” He could hear her weight falling into the chair as it rolled up to the table.

A knock came from the doorway. “We’re here!” A female voice sang into the room.

“Coach Han just in time!” Manager Kang’s voice reached out to her.

Jae Young looked up to see coach Han enter with fifteen players tailing behind her. His eyes flicked to Eun Ji. She had her head buried into her screen. Eyes popping out of her head again. Why would they not tell her anything if this was going to be her reaction.

“So!” Coach Han clapped her hands together. “How should we begin?”

“I’m thinking having the male team verse Eun Ji and Jae Young with three female players for now. Make it closer to a male versus female team situation.” With manager Kang’s simple suggestion the players moved into position without another word. The male team moved to the pcs on the other side of the room and three females sat down on at the same row as the two of them. “You are all much too fast for me.”

Eyes focused back onto the screen. The code for the room flashed across the screens. Keyboards began tapping to enter the code. Jae Young entered the game lobby and waited for the master to organize the teams. “We’ll be doing normal rules from our games.” One of the female players spoke up. Players were all on the correct side and the game began.

The solos always picked bans. Despite playing normal rules there was no real discussion on who to ban. Both solos just banned right after another. Then again they all knew each others mains. Banning phase was over in a blink. Solos locked in and it moved down the list. Adc and support were always the last picks. Before Jae Young could think about who to pick it was already their turn to choose gods. Quickly glancing at his mains and the teams picks. The pointer hovered over the different guardians. Bellona, Pele, and Poseidon were picked for their team. The other team picked Wukong, Da Ji, and Hera. Both teams had good combos and either one could snowball and obliterate the other. Whoever picked the better support could round off the teams and bring in the victory. Jae Young took a few more seconds to think about his choice before clicking on Xing Tian. It wasn’t his first choice in fact, it wasn’t even his second choice. Eun Ji’s words echoed back to him. Keeping things simple.

Before he could really think about his choice the locking in sound interrupted his thoughts. She picked Izanami the second he clicked onto Xing Tian. Jae Young let out a sigh and locked in. There wasn’t a chance to even think about his choice she just went ahead and picked a god. Athena and Neith were locked in from the other team. The in game countdown began. Headsets connected to the teams voice room and the music cut out. Jae Young could feel his skin crawling around. It was time to play.

* * *

Late game ticked closer and closer and both teams kept pushing back and forth. One tower would fall only to have their tower come down next. Eun Ji’s eyes flicked from the map to items and back to following the team around. “They’re gonna try to go for fire giant.” Hyun Jung’s voice cut through the game’s noise. “We can either fight for it for rush phoenix’s.”

“Fight for it.” Yoo Kyung was quick to judge. “With their team and strategy they’re going take fire giant and then rush into our phoenix’s. If we fight them we can delay the game for our favor.”

“Ok but if we lose this fight we lose the game.” Despite what Seo Joon said she was already headed towards the fire giant. The three hightailed to the fire giant to try and stop the male team.

Eun Ji took another quick glance at the map and items. Swallowing the air she had held in. “Jae Young… Follow me…”

“Uh Eun Ji what are you doing?” Seo Joon’s sharp voice cut into Eun Ji’s spine. “We need the whole team to fight fire giant.”

There wasn’t enough time to explain the situation. Jae Young cleared his throat and let out a deep sigh into his mic. “Where are we going?”

“Go down our lane while they fight fire giant.” Eun Ji was already heading that way. She could see Jae Young approaching her from behind. “We just need to shred the phoenix.”

“Easy.” His cold voice still edging through her ears. Every response back was simple and snappy.

“Alright cool.” Compared to Seo Joon’s snap, Jae Young was almost calming to listen to. “We’ll take on this team fight and you two go off to duo lane.”

There wasn’t a reason respond or a chance to. The three had reached fire giant and the fight broke out. Eun Ji reached the phoenix and took out the spawning minions. She had enough attack speed and penetration to activate one and take half the phoenix’s health. Jae Young ran up to the phoenix and began smacking it. There was only a few seconds to pull this off.

Yelling from both sides emerged. It didn’t matter how nice the headsets were. In a room of ten couldn’t stop from voices slipping. Her one went onto cooldown and the normal attack pattern returned. Phoenix’s health fell more than expected. Jae Young helped clear incoming waves as she kited around to have the returning sickles take out the weakened minions.

“They’re backing!” Yoo Kyung called out suddenly. Eun Ji looked at the mini map and flipped open the player menu. Both teams retreated from fire giant. “They have the advantage now. We can’t back or else we’ll lose.”

A few more basic attacks at the phoenix fell. Screeching as it exploded into a ball of fire. “Jae Young…”

“Yeah?”

“Ult them out of fountain.”

No response back. Was he thinking about what she just said? Eun Ji looked to see her one back from cooldown. A few hits already landed on the titan and it began to focus on incoming minions. Closely watching the fountain while kiting around the titan. In a flash gods hopped back onto the fountain.

Before Eun Ji could call out to Jae Young, Xing Tian began spinning around while letting out a yellow glow. All five in the fountain were caught into the spinning ult and thrown out of the fountain. This was it. Snapping her camera Eun Ji dropped her ult onto the group as they landed onto the ground. With the group slowed and silenced Eun Ji let out her two for additional damage. A clean four two combo was all she could do. Xing Tian followed up with a two one combo further rooting the five. Activating her one to deal the extra damage and utilize the extra attack speed.

“Pentakill!” The announcer's voice rang throughout the room. All five enemy gods death animations played out before their bodies disappeared. Eun Ji’s heart skipped as she turned to finish off the titan. Before she could do any more damage the screens turned black. Text popped into the chat reading, “the enemy team has agreed to surrender.” The titan death animation played through as the word victory graced the screen.

Air in the room grew heavy. Eun Ji felt all her nerves sitting still for once. Minions went through their cheer animation was the screen faded to black. “We won…” Her voice echoed with Jae Young’s. After a week of losing she finally won a game against a team of pro players. Silence crept into her headset. Eyes began to sink into her back. Why was no one talking? All the nervous energy was sucked back into her gut and exploded.

Someone began clapping. “Good job everyone. Let’s switch players around.” Manager Kang moved around and began rearranging teams. The coaches quickly stepped in as the broke down the game. Eun Ji slowly reached for her headset and gently picked it up from her ears. She glanced over to Jae Young who was doing the same. His eyes locked onto his keyboard. They had lost their ice and instead flowed. Eun Ji stared for a second too long. Jae Young turned his eyes over to look back at her. It didn’t take long for the flowing water to freeze back up.


	5. What are you thoughts?

Spring season was wrapping up. All teams began to plan their short vacations with one another. Eun Ji looked around the common area to listen and watch. Picking up a small grape and popping it into her mouth. The past month was filled with constant practice. Manager Kang had set a goal for the new co-ed team. He had found and recruited two new players to join the team. Even going out of his way to find them a new coach. It was only a matter of time before they debuted as a team. Eun Ji drifted in and out of her thoughts to come back and listen to what other people have planned for their short break. A strange tug in her chest began to pull. She didn’t have a chance to address it as a plate slid onto the table. Quickly, she looked up to see who it belonged to. “Oh hi Jae Young…”

His eyes glanced at her before deflecting back to his plate. Tumbling down into his seat and letting out his usual sigh. Eun Ji opened her mouth to speak. “I’m sitting here because everyone else is too loud.” Her mouth shut back up and he grabbed a spoonful of yogurt and shovelled it into his mouth.

“Then… why not eat somewhere else?” She never had the courage to speak any louder to him than an audible whisper.

Jae Young swallowed the yogurt and frowned. “I’d rather not make the same mistakes I made when I was at Incredible Miracle.”

This was new information. Eun Ji wanted to poke another peek but if she poked too much he would be annoyed. “Same mistakes?”

There was his signature huff. “I used to eat in my room or in the practice room at the Incredible Miracle house to be by myself.” This was becoming a narrative Eun Ji was too familiar with. “Now I’m signed onto the best esports team in the world.” His voice dropped as he talked about being on SKT. “I don’t want to keep my old reputation here. Even if it means sitting in a room with a bunch of loud and obnoxious chatter.”

Eun Ji chewed at the bottom of her lip. Over the month the two were forced to spend lots of time together. They had to in order to learn about their playstyles and gods. “Aren’t you… I don’t know… Sick of being around me though?” Those words spewed out of her before she realized what was said. Jae Young’s eyebrows furrowed together as he looked up at her. How she desperately wanted to take it all back. They stared at each other for a bit before Jae Young resumed his eating. Eun Ji didn’t want to know his answer. tIt probably had to do with something about her being quiet and easily pushed over.

“You know.” Jae Young kept looking down at his food. His eyes travelling to her plate. “If you’re going to have portions that small at least get some sort of protein.” Knots formed in Eun Ji’s stomach. He was the only person who hadn’t said anything about her eating habits and now it was happening. “They didn’t have time to teach you this but if you don’t have balanced meals you’ll be drained in the future. They make you do a lot more work than just play video games. You can keep your portions small just eat the right things.”

This was new. Everyone around her just told her to eat more. She knew it’s because they cared about her health but they never explained why. Eun Ji took a look at her tiny plate and blinked at it. “Um… Can you show me?”

Jae Young put his yogurt down and grabbed the banana on his plate. “You eat a lot of fruit. So start with this.” His hand extended across the table with the banana pointing at her. “Don’t force yourself to try something new. Your body will reject it. Work towards better protein sources.”

This was a new side of Jae Young. No one ever mentioned that he cared so much or how smooth his voice could be. Eun Ji reached out for the banana and smiled. “Thank you.” Before she began peeling it she opened her mouth once more. “Why are you telling me this? No one else in the house has tried to help me with my diet. They just tell me to eat more.”

As Eun Ji peeled the banana she watched as Jae Young thought of his answer. “Because… I made that mistake in my trainee days.”

The banana was peeled and Eun Ji put it down on her plate. “Oh…” This was a good place to stop. She didn’t want to hear the rest of the story and it was obvious Jae Young just wanted to eat in quiet. Eun Ji picked up her fork and cut a small slice of the banana. Jabbing at it and mixing it with one of the strawberries on her plate. Jae Young returned to his yogurt and began to attend to the rest of his food. This was nice.

* * *

“New recruits coming in today! If you’re not going out of town take a chance to meet your new potential teammates.” Manager Kang’s voice rang out in the common areas. His presence entering and leaving rooms with merely poking his head in.

Eun Ji gave a thumbs up as his head disappeared from the practice room. Min Woo rolled his chair over to her and Jae Young. “I’m sure seventy-five percent of them will drop out before this year ends.” Everyone had mentioned how quiet he was but around the team he was quite chatty.

“That’s just what trainee life is like.” Jae Young’s eyes stayed on the screen as he fiddled around in the empty game they had made. “If you can’t handle it, it’s better to leave.”

“Yeah but it super encourages a trend to ignore trainees.” Kyu Won’s high pitched, sharp voice cut through Jae Young’s. “Literally everyone here but Eun Ji unnie knows and hated that feeling. Pros don’t want to get attached to trainees who drop out. But then trainees who sign onto the team feel awkward and out of place.” Spinning around in her chair to face the rest of the team. Manager Kang had grabbed Kyu Won from KT Rolster. She had been training for about three years before joining the bench for their female SMITE team.

“Don’t be dramatic noona.” Se Bin slipped out from behind Min Woo. Slowly pushing himself into the edge of the circle. “Once trainees sign on they’re treated as equals amongst pros. They just don’t want to spend time on someone who won’t be with them in the end.” Once on Samsung’s bench for their male team, Se Bin was now with them. He was one of the youngest esport pros in the scene which gave him attention for a short period of time.

Eun Ji could feel her eyebrows furrowing. Her hands gripping on the armrests of her chair. Jae Young groaned as he finally peeled away from his screen. Turning his chair to face everyone and gently pushing Eun Ji’s to the side. “Why would anyone ever want to get attached to someone only for them to quit after a few months? It’s just a waste of time and energy.”

Kyu Won’s nose scrunched up. Something was brewing deep inside her. “Yeah you of all people would say that. You only know how to be nasty towards others.” Slowly her eyes rolled around.

“You little-” Jae Young leaped up from his chair glaring at Kyu Won. Immediately she followed and stared back at him.

A yelp came out of Eun Ji, her body coming up without a prompt. “Let’s just… Take a second to cool down…” Her arms stretched out to push the two back.

Min Woo and Se Bin exchanged glances and came back to watch the chaos unfold. Kyu Won let out a soft trill from her lips and sat back down. “Yeah ok unnie. Whatever you say.”

Eun Ji looked up at Jae Young to see his eyes still burning. Gently she pushed the palm of her hand into his chest. His eyes took their lock off Kyu Won and fell onto Eun Ji. For a second she could see his eyes soften before going back to ice. Without another word he sat back into his chair. Only letting out a huff.

The five sat around for a bit before rolling back to their pcs. Soon the sound of clicking keyboards filled the air and took over the room. After a few minutes Jae Young groaned and got up. “Yeah I guess we could take a second to meet new recruits.” Before anyone could respond he left the room.

Kyu Won spun around in her chair. “God oppa is so weird…” Stretching her arms and legs before hopping onto her feet.

Eun Ji could see the small smirk on her face. Min Woo and Se Bin looked at Eun Ji before following Kyu Won. There was a wave of warmth flowing through under her skin. Eun Ji took the headset off from around her neck and put it down. “Wait for me!” Calling out to her team who was a few steps ahead of her.

* * *

SKT had an odd tradition with new recruits. Coaches from the different teams would release stats on all of them for the whole house to view. During lunch everyone placed bets on who was most likely to stay. At dinner they would plan to watch and interact with them as minimally as possible. Eun Ji listened around to what others were thinking aloud. Taking a look at the packet of stats coach Min had given their team. Every game had at least ten new recruits to sift through. Starwatch was taking up the most pages.

“God Starwatch keeps gaining traction.” Jae Young had taken a seat at her table once again. He had been doing this for several days now. Min Woo, Se Bin, and Kyu Won often sat with others during breaks and periods of eating. “Games been out for almost four years now and it keeps gaining more and more players.”

“Yeah…” Eun Ji took a bite from the peach she had sitting on her fork. “I wonder why…”

“That’s because of Tae Yeon.” A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. Eun Ji and Jae Young looked up to see Dae Sung standing in front of their small table. Without an invitation he put the chair in his hand down and took a seat. “That bitch made the game as popular as it is today by almost winning last year.”

“Oh… Lee Tae Yeon or Taengoo.” That name was familiar in the esports scene.

“Yeah her.” Dae Sung crossed his right leg over his left.

Silence filled up in the middle of the table. Jae Young’s eyebrows furrowed together more. “Why are you sitting here all of a sudden?” For a few days he had lost his sharp tone but it suddenly came back.

“Because.” Dae Sung checked his nails for a second. “I’m bored with everyone making bets. It’s obvious who’s going to stay and who’s not going to stay.” He looked up from his nails and smiled. “Plus…” His head swiveled over to Eun Ji. Placing his hand under her chin and lifting her head up. “I’m curious about her.”

“Uh…” Eun Ji felt her blood rushing into her cheeks. Being red in the face was the last thing she wanted right now.

A loud groan came out of Jae Young. Dae Sung turned his head over to him still holding Eun Ji’s face up. “Could you not do this right now?”

“Who do you think you are? My elder?” Now his hand left her chin. His body shifted over to Jae Young.

“I am literally older than you.” Cold icicles drilled into Dae Sung.

“Are you seriously older than me?” The smooth voice dropped from Dae Sung. He seemed genuinely surprised.

Jae Young raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue. “There’s no way you didn’t know that.”

“Oh ho.” Dae Sung purred as he gave another smirk. “Is that why you’re telling me to leave? Looking out for her to make sure someone doesn’t take her from you?”

“Oh my god. Eun Ji and I are the same age.” She could hear the irritation escaping Jae Young’s throat. “And I’m telling you to leave because you’re annoying.”

Dae Sung sighed dramatically and got up from his seat. “Ok hyung I’ll leave.” Picking up the chair he had brought. He looked at Eun Ji and winked. “Sorry noona!” With that he walked off to find a different table.

Eun Ji watched him saunter off. Many in the house had warned her about Dae Sung’s odd behavior. That was the first time she had interacted with him. She turned her head back to see Jae Young pointing at her face. “Go soak under cold water.”

“What?” It was said so plainly and with purpose.

“Your face. It’s still red.”

Eun Ji blinked a few times and slowly touched her face. It was burning. “I…” Quickly she buried her face into her sleeves. Why was she so red? She didn’t feel anything just shock and embarrassment. It wasn’t because she liked the interaction with Dae Sung. Or maybe it was that and-

Something cold and smooth touched her cheek. Eun Ji peeked through her fingers to see Jae Young’s hand holding a can up to her face. “Don’t let something like that make you think too much. It’s pointless.” He motioned her to hold the can. Slowly she took it from him and put it against her other cheek. His voice was cold as he said those words. Eun Ji could feel the burning leave and was replaced with a fuzzy feeling.

“Thanks Jae Young…”

He just waved his hand to dismiss her. Going back to the packet and flipping through to the new SMITE recruits.

* * *

Break had begun for the pros. Recruits stayed behind to get used to the house when it was mostly empty. Eun Ji roamed into the kitchen letting out a yawn. She didn’t have anywhere to go for break. At least the house was better than staying at home. Opening the fridge to grab a small bottle of strawberry milk. She took the straw and punched a hole through the top. Truthfully, she had no idea who else was in the house. Turning around to leave her body collided with another.

“God Eun Ji watch where you’re going.” Jae Young’s undeniable voice rang in her ears.

“Sorry! I… Didn’t think anyone else was here.” Eun Ji took a step back and continued sipping on her milk.

Jae Young covered his mouth as he yawned. He turned to Eun Ji and blinked a few times. Squinting at the bottle in her hand. “Do you just eat anything with a strawberry involved?”

Eun Ji stopped sipping and thought about it. Most of her snacks were strawberry flavored even to the sodas she preferred. “I guess I do…” She looked down at the milk in her hand and began giggling.

“What?” Jae Young rubbed his eyes. Still scrunching his face up at her.

She extended the milk to his face, still giggling. “Look.” Shaking the milk in his face. “It’s us!”

Her giggles filled the kitchen as Jae Young just stared at the strawberry milk. It didn’t take long for him to sigh. “Oh my god…” His hand pushed the milk back to Eun Ji and he shuffled to the counter. “Is the reason your name is Strawberry because you like strawberries?”

“Well… Yeah.” Eun Ji took another sip of her milk. “Why are you called Milk?”

Jae Young rubbed his temple with his hand. “My friends gave me the name.”

“But why?” Her words mumbling as she chewed on the straw.

“Because…” Another sigh left him. “Milk is good for you but…” She watched as he struggled to tell her the rest. His hand running down his face in exasperation. “But milk also goes sour so…”

The strawberry milk was already depleted. Eun Ji sucked out as much as possible before smacking her lips. “At least strawberry milk is sweet and delightful.”

Jae Young raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Are you saying I’m delightful? Because I know I’m not sweet.”

“Oh…” Eun Ji tapped a finger on her chin. “Should I say that strawberry milk is sweet and bitter?”

A pause grew for a second before Jae Young covered his mouth and snorted. “Yeah sure let’s go with that.” He turned to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of Nano Cola. “Why are you still in the house?”

That was a question she had for him. “I don’t really have anywhere to go for break…”

“Huh… really?” Popping the can open and taking a quick swig.

“Why are you still here?” Eun Ji tossed the empty bottle into the garbage.

“I guess for the same reason.” He took another sip and put the can down on the counter. Eun Ji was sure Jae Young had friends outside of esports to visit. Probably a family as well. In a flash she thought of her family and shook her head. It wasn’t right to assume things about his life. “Well,” Jae Young picked up the can and shuffled past her. “I’m going to practice.” No other gesture came with his leave. Just simply exiting the kitchen left behind a cold breeze that crawled down her spine. Eun Ji took her phone out from the pocket of her hoodie. A text from Sang Wook flickered on the screen. There was someone to meet during break.

* * *

The subway came to halt and the female voice announced the station. Eun Ji hopped off and followed the flow of bodies out from the underground. The weather was lifting up from the previous weeks of gray. Sundrops warmed her skin as they slowly dripped down from the sky. Everything felt in place for once.

“Eun Ji!” Sang Wook’s voice echoed down the street. A few passerbys shot a look of disgust and continued with their commute.

“Hi oppa.” Giving a small wave to the charging bull headed towards her. “How’s vacation?”

Sang Wook slowed his feet down and let out an exaggerated sigh. “It is so nice to let my voice relax. But!” His hands came crashing down onto her shoulders. “I want to know how you’re doing on SKT!”

Eun Ji could feel more eyes turning to them. “Oppa, keep it down.” Gesturing him to quiet down. “I… I don’t want anyone listening…”

“Don’t worry!” A cheeky smile sat wide on his face. “The perks of being in esports means we can eat anywhere and everywhere with privacy.” He turned her body around and began walking down the street.

“Is that… true?” Eun Ji stumbled for a bit before catching her footing.

“No I had to call in a reservation.” Sang Wook’s voice dropped down from the energy he had before. Eun Ji covered her mouth and giggled into her hand. “But trust me this place is killer!”

* * *

A small room in the back of the restaurant lay hidden from the busy front. It wasn’t any different or dressed up. In fact, the server seemed almost annoyed and hastily showed them the room. “Don’t worry they do that because if they linger people will find out.” Sang Wook plopped onto a cushion and clapped both hands on his knees. Eun Ji picked up a cushion and gently slid it to the table. “So tell me everything about SKT and what the hell is going on.”

“Oppa…” It was only one question but she could feel waves crashing over her head. “You know I’m not allowed to tell you some thing's… By contract…”

Sang Wook grabbed his belly and let out a short hearty laugh. “I know I know! So just start off with general living at SKT.”

Eun Ji tapped a finger on her chin. There were a lot of things that happened in the two months she had been there. “Well… I’m finally winning team games.”

A sudden shift appeared on his face. The cheery smile was wiped off instantaneously. He reached for the water pitcher and poured two glasses of water. “That’s great but it’s with Jae Young right?”

The oppa lecture was creeping up from under the table. Eun Ji’s hands began to fidget over each other. “Y-yeah but… I’m no good in any other role and with any other support…”

“Not even with Joon Ho?” Sliding the small cup over to her. His voice was being pushed down as he fought off something deep down. “Joon Ho is a great support.”

“H-he is! But…” Previous games with different supports surfaced from the back of her mind. Each ending in a horrible loss. “I don’t know… I guess I’m just no good. I can win duel games no problem but being on a team is so different. Manager Kang even had a few other support players from different teams come over to play with me.”

Sang Wook smacked his lips together as his head slowly bobbed up and down. “And Jae Young is really the only support you can play with?” Her heart beat as fast as the subways. Muscles tensed up and down her arms. Barely managing to give him a nod. Her eyes only traced around the wood table to see where the marks led. “Well…” Sang Wook sighed and his voice came back up. “Now I feel bad for telling you to not worry about him back then.” Hearing him chuckle loosened up her muscles. “Guess you did have to worry about one sour grape.”

“Yeah…” That day two months ago played back in her head. “I guess I did have to.”

“So,” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Is he still nasty to everyone within a 5 meter radius of him?” A playful smirk took over his face. There was never a dull expression with him.

“Actually… He’s been…” There wasn’t a proper word to describe Jae Young. He wasn’t exactly nice but he wasn’t hostile. His tips weren’t the most helpful but they got through to her. Occasionally he laughed at her jokes but most of them time he would ignore things she said to him. “Not bad…”

“Not bad?”

“Well he’s not the greatest person on the planet.” Eun Ji had to play with her words carefully. Anything could trigger a lecture about people. “But he sits with me during meals and sometimes talks with me for more than two minutes. Just a few days ago he made Dae Sung go away.”

“Oh yeah he’s a weird one!” Sang Wook leaned back and puffed his cheeks up. “Him and Tae Yeon together was absolute chaos. He’s probably lonely now that she’s moved teams.”

“Maybe…” Eun Ji felt her hands clasp around her cheeks. “But he…”

Sang Wook frowned at her. “Did he touch your face? Lift it up for a better look?” Words couldn’t come out of her mouth. Only another difficult nod. A sigh left him and she could feel his eyes rolling. “I’m pretty sure he’s done that to every single pro player in Korea. Tae Yeon too. We’ve told them to stop but I guess they haven’t.”

“He thought I was younger than him… He only went away when Jae Young told him we were older than him.” Her hands came down from her cheeks. “He even gave me a cold can to help me calm down.”

“Really?” Disbelief marked his tone. Clicking his tongue on his teeth Sang Wook nodded and pressed the button on the side of the table. “Just… Be careful around him. Ok?”

Eun Ji slid her hand across the table and gently pat Sang Wook’s hand. “I will oppa.”

Soft smiles were exchanged. She missed sitting and talking so openly. A server entered the room and bowed. Sang Wook sat up giving his best grin. “Hello! Can we order-”

* * *

A woman’s voice called out the arrival of the elevator. Jae Young entered the opening doors and hit the highest floor. Doors quickly slid shut and the ascent began. It had been a while since he came to this apartment. It wasn’t a total lie that he had nowhere to go on vacation. The places he could go and the people he could see probably didn’t want him there. A ding interrupted his thoughts and the doors slid open.

“Hey stranger.” A female voice entered the elevator before there was a chance to fully reveal who was standing there. The voice only matched one person though.

“Hey Soo Jin.” Taking a step out he could see the short haired female leaning on the wall.

“Come visit more often. We don’t live far.” Soo Jin pushed up from the wall and headed towards the apartment door. A line he’s heard far too many times. “Especially now that you’re with SKT now.”

“Yeah yeah whatever.” Grumbling the words out from his throat.

The door swung open before Soo Jin could put her hand on the handle. “Jae Young! You son of a bitch!” Despite his arms reaching out to stop the blur, it still collided into him. “Jung Nam’s here too!” The arms wrapped around him crushed his lungs.

“Damn it Sung Jin you’re going to kill me.” Each word grasped for a fresh breath but failed each time. His arms finally pushed the bundle of energy off of him.

“Come on.” Soo Jin grabbed Sung Jin’s shirt and dragged him in. “Let’s eat I’m hungry.”

Jae Young slipped his shoes off and stepped onto the wood flooring. The apartment looked the same from the last time he visited. Sung Jin and Soo Jin slid to the living room. The floor table was already set up with takeout food and beer. “Incredible that none of you know how to cook yet.”

“Shut the fuck up and eat.” Jung Nam swirled his beer around. He didn’t bother with getting up and kept his eyes forward.

“Good to see you too.” Jae Young sat down at the end of the table as Jung Nam gave a friendly gesture.

“Alright let’s get right to the good shit.” Soo Jin reached for the boxes and ripped them open. “Tell us everything about SKT.”

“Right meow!” Sung Jin put his fists up and pawed at Jae Young.

Jae Young snorted at the gestures. “I’m not telling a bunch of drop outs what it’s like to be on the greatest esports team.” Reaching for a chicken leg in the middle.

“Damn that’s a lot of bullshit coming from the guy who’s lost every single pro game he’s played.” Jung Nam reached for some of the food and took a bite. “Now he’s on SKT and he thinks he’s hot shit.” Another swig of the beer along with another bite. “At least we knew when to quit before our faces got associated with you.”

Soo Jin and Sung Jin scrunched their faces up, sucking in the air around them. Jae Young rolled his eyes and flicked Jung Nam’s arm. The words he spewed almost never meant true malition but there was a sting to his words.

“How did you get onto SKT? Your track record isn’t very pretty.” Sung Jin never knew when to properly speak.

Jae Young swallowed the food in his mouth. “SKT’s manager is crazy that’s what.” He gestured for a can of beer to be passed over to him. Soo Jin picked one up and lightly tossed it in his direction. “He actually talked to me about it before I signed onto the team.”

“Ooo what did he say?” Soo Jin’s hands folded over each other. The perfect perching spot for her chin to rest on.

The can cracked open with the fizzes popping out. He took a giant swig gulping down a few chugs. Creating the perfect amount of tension. All three exchanged glances and landed back on Jae Young. “Ah.” Half the can was gone which he slammed onto the table. “He said that my play style was unique.”

“Oh my god.” Sung Jin smacked his face. “Literally every coach and manager says that.”

“Yeah well it must be true because I can’t win a single fucking game unless I play with her as my adc.” This was the topic he wanted to avoid. He didn’t want to mention Eun Ji while he was out of the house.

“Wait… You mean Strawberry?” Now Soo Jin had put on her detective hat. She was going to dig until there was nothing left to take out of him. “ _ She’s  _ your adc?”

Sung Jin snorted and covered his mouth too late. “Yo she destroyed Snoopy in that duel match!”

“Yeah apparently I’m useless unless I’m paired with her.” Fire was building up in his gut. It burned down into his toes. “We’ve won every game we’ve played together.”

“Jae Young.” Jung Nam finally looked him in the eyes. “Does it feel good playing with someone who has a similar style as you?”

Six eyes watched him for his response. “Yeah but-”

“But what?” Annoyance filled to the brim with Jung Nam. He wasn’t going to let this go. “Are you mad that someone didn’t go through the same training as you and didn’t have to be publicly humiliated for having your playstyle? Are you mad that she’s getting high praise and you’re sitting at the bottom of the dumpster?”

“Woah ok let’s just-” Sung Jin kept talking but none of the words reached Jae Young. His knuckles turned bright white from his fists clenching. The fire had burst out of his ears into steam. “Well how about when you’re not doing gaming. Anyone in the house of interest?”

His hand had grabbed the beer and without another thought he threw his head back and downed the rest of it. Crumpling the empty can in his hand and tossing it to the side. “Yeah they’re all annoying.”

“Do you still eat by yourself like a loser?” Never a dull moment with Soo Jin.

“No I actually eat and sit in the common areas now.”

“By yourself?” The two of them never ceased their bombardment. The stupid grin slapped onto Sung Jin’s face and a smirk on Soo Jin’s.

There was no safe answer to this question. Each one would cause a whole thing to unfold. “Well… I sit at the same table as Eun Ji.”

Jung Nam groaned while taking some more food. “You literally just said you hated her. You can’t be eating meals with someone that makes you that mad.”

“She doesn’t talk.” It was almost impossible to describe Eun Ji. Her conversation was minimal and she could barely hold one for more than two minutes. Sometimes she could talk like a normal human but most times she could barely get the words out of her mouth without stuttering. Her diet was disgusting especially with her fascination over strawberry flavored items. Once in a while she would say something so odd that he could only snort as a response. “It’s better that she doesn’t. She’s always stuttering and fidgeting. I don’t get how someone who holds such prestige in SMITE can be so… annoying.”

Soo Jin and Sung Jin clapped their hands together. Both mouths opening in unison. It was time for another one of their moments. “Well that was a fun talk but it’s time to move on because someone is an asshole.” Their heads came together and lightly hit each other.

“Stop that.” Jung Nam and Jae Young scrunched up together.

“You can’t stop twin powers.” Still speaking together. It fell apart quickly as they began to go into a giggling fit. Jae Young rolled his eyes and grabbed more food. As long as the subject changed he didn’t care what they did.

* * *

SKT’s house was farther out from the city. Eun Ji looked back to see how far she had walked from the bus stop. Many buildings stuck up like needles from this far. Namsan tower being the tallest one. Turning back forward to finish her journey and rest at the house.

The entrance was in sight all she had to do was reach out and grab the handle-

In that second a body collided with her. “I’m sorry!” She wasn’t sure where they came from or who it was but she bowed out of safety.

“God Eun Ji…” Jae Young’s slurred voice waved into her ears.

Eun Ji straightened up to see him rubbing the back of his head. Cheeks bright red and his pupils sitting wide. “Sorry Jae Young…” Her voice crept back into a cave. “Did you go out or something?”

“Yeah I guess something like that.” He covered his mouth with his fist and coughed. “Just some friends.” Jae Young studied Eun Ji for a second, tilting his head curiously. “I thought you didn’t have anywhere to go over break.”

Eun Ji frowned at his words. It was probably because he wasn’t completely sober but the words still stung. “Well… I… I could say the same to you.” Sang Wook had given her tips on responding back to people. His words about esports being a harsh environment where you had to learn to stand up for yourself.

Jae Young rocked back and forth with his eyes leaving her. After a few seconds he snorted and stepped towards the entrance. “Yeah you could say the same thing.” Swinging the door wide open to allow himself to enter. Eun Ji leapt forward to grab the door before it shut on her face. Despite his voice being a sloppy mess the rest of his body appeared normal.

No one was in sight from the entrance. Eun Ji took a quick peak around the entrances of the common areas to check for any potential people. Empty rooms only greeted her. Trainees were supposed to be around at this time. It was only fifteen o’clock perhaps they were in practice rooms or having meetings. Eun Ji headed towards the stairs. Footsteps came in a rush and a girl came stumbling down. “Ah sorry unnie.”

The voice belonged to a young girl but her face was already nicely developed. Sleek black hair came down by her face. Eun Ji may have been new but this was a face she had never seen. “It’s ok. Uh…”

“Lee Yuna. Starwatch.” Simple words but a friendly tone.

“Kim Eun Ji.” Giving off her best no teeth smile. Yuna returned the smile and waved goodbye. Lightly jogging to wherever she was headed. The name sounded familiar. She would have to look back at the packet to look at her stats. Eun Ji took a few steps up the stairs.

“Hey Eun Ji.” Jae Young stood at the top of the stairs. His coat was already put away and was back into his pajamas. “Let’s practice.” There wasn’t an answer to give because he had already determined it.

“Ok…” Eun Ji quickly hopped up the stairs. Reaching her room and tossing her belongings onto the bed. She swiped her pajamas from a chair. Hopping around to change as fast as possible. She could feel her heart racing to try and move as quickly as she could. Was there a reason to be in such a hurry? It was just another day to practice. His voice was a lot softer than usual when he said to go practice.

With pajamas on Eun Ji shuffled out of her room and skid on the wood flooring. Jae Young stood at the end of the hallway. Sliding down to meet him at the end. “Ok let’s go.” Gesturing her to follow him to the practice room. His cheeks still in a rosy tint. Maybe he only said that because of the alcohol. Whatever it was, Eun Ji followed him to the practice room. It was nice to do something during break.


	6. Becoming Champions

Championships season was beginning. The earliest games beginning the process in November. Only a few more months left on manager Kang’s schedule to have the team debut. Most of the work done was to have the team practice as much as possible. Public imaging and relations wasn’t even mentioned yet. Certain days entire teams would be gone for holiday promotions. Soon they would be gone to travel for championships. Eun Ji scrolled through her phone to look at the news as the TV blared other kinds of news.

“Yeosu has finally rebuilt from the Gwishin attack this past summer.” The female news anchor looked at the camera as she recited the words. “MEKA was able to defend once again however the military is looking to strengthen the nation’s defenses.” Chatter over the omnic attack came up. Most talking about how awful it all was.

Eun Ji went back to her phone trying to drown out the news. Despite it being positive this was something she would rather not listen to. “That’s still so depressing to hear.” Kyu Won’s voice whined over the news. “The Gwishin pretty much show up once a year right?”

“Not exactly.” Se Bin chewed on his rice. “Sometimes twice a year. It depends how many months they decide to rebuild before attacking again.”

Kyu Won sighed and fiddled with the food in her bowl. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“How about bets for the Starcraft world championships?” Min Woo chimed in with his cheery voice. All together the table chimed in with a unifying snort. “Damn… That’s harsh…”

“Min Woo the game’s been dead for years.” Eun Ji speaking up from her phone. “It had a small revival recently but until an amazing player comes by it’s gonna stay on the low side.”

Min Woo sighed as the weight of his elbow came down on the table. “Ok how about League?”

“Toss up.” Jae Young’s voice rang in Eun Ji’s right ear. “Our teams have been doing well but KT Rolster and Samsung are pretty close.”

Everyone nodded in unison. “You guys suck at talking. What about SMITE? Who do you think will win?”

“SKT.” Once again their voices all rang together.

“I hate all of you.” Min Woo huffed and crossed his arms over. “No real discussion about teams and players or stats.”

“That’s because we don’t wanna talk about it.” Kyu Won twirled her finger around her hair. “We need to be focusing on us as a team. Championships will be over before we know it and manager Kang plans on us debuting as soon as the spring season starts.” Her voice buzzed through Eun Ji’s ears. She locked her phone and looked up to her team. “First impressions matter.”

“Just like a tiger pouncing on its prey.” Se Bin crawled into the spotlight. “You’ve all seen the recent leaks. News outlets found out about SKT’s secret project.” Slowly his hands reached out into the middle of the table. “We’re keeping everyone on look out and before they know it.” Clapping his hands together so loudly a few heads turned. “We got them!”

Eun Ji softly giggled. “Well if we’re all done with eating we could just go to practice early.”

Kyu Won shot up with her plate in hand. “Unnie you’re such a genius!” The first to bolt out of the common area. Se Bin stretched his arms up and followed behind, sliding his feet on the floor. Min Woo grumbled a few words before gathering his plate and utensils together to follow them.

Jae Young huffed through his nose and got up to follow suit. “I mean what else is there to practice?”

“I…” Eun Ji put her phone into her sweater pocket. She only had a small bowl to take back to the kitchen. Jae Young waited tapping his foot for Eun Ji to get up. His face waited for her to continue. “Well… What if…” She could feel her heart racing. She had practiced all week to say something. The words were getting lost in her throat before she could really speak. “What if we switched roles?”

She didn’t try to meet his eyes. It was obvious what he was thinking and what expression was smacked onto his face. “What?”

“Yeah… We should try switching roles.” Quickly shuffling to the kitchen to avoid looking at him. His steps followed behind at a constant pace.

“Why would we ever do that?” Eun Ji could hear the dry air in his voice. “You’ve never even tried support.”

“True but…” Carefully placing her bowl into the sink and turning on the faucet to rinse them. “I know how to play support gods. And…” Eun Ji chewed on her words for a bit. There was no way to gauge Jae Young’s reaction to what she would say next. She gingerly placed the bowl in the dishwasher. “I know you used to be an adc.”

There weren't any words. She couldn’t even feel his reaction. He just turned on the faucet to rinse his plate. Finally looking up to meet his eyes she could see him biting the inside of his mouth. Jae Young put the plate away and stood up to look into her eyes. “How did you know that?” His hands were stuffed into his jackets pockets as fists.

Eun Ji scratched her head. “I…” There wasn’t any way to make this now sound creepy. Taking in a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before opening her mouth. “Keep tabs on pro players who I think do well and will do well… So I know a lot about some of the pro players.”

The two stood by the dishwasher for a while. Jae Young popped his mouth open. “Ok. We can try.” Turning on his heel to head towards the practice room. Eun Ji sighed and quietly followed behind. Things could have been worse.

* * *

Kyu Won stretched her arms up. “Ok I think I’m done for the day.” Her chair spun around into the middle of the room. Gently knocking into everyone’s chair to get their attention. “Who wants to go out for dinner?”

“Literally only you.” Min Woo leaned back and stuck his tongue out at her. “I’m gonna eat in the house and find someone who wants to talk about stats and teams with me.”

Se Bin snorted at his screen. “God hyung you’re such a nerd.”

“We are LITERALLY pro gamers. We are all nerds.”

Eun Ji covered her mouth with a hand. Continuing to navigate around the screen. Jae Young rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back. His headset still around his neck as the cord tugged him back. “And you three can literally take this talk to anywhere in the house.”

Kyu Won scrunched her face up. Despite the protest she showed on their, her body got up from the chair. “I’m leaving anyway.” Her voice buzzed in his ears. Nothing was more obnoxious than when her voice went up two octaves and began to buzz.

Min Woo sighed and followed suit. “Yeah I’m hungry. Better to go eat now than later.”

“Because there are more nerds to talk to during dinner time?” Se Bin slipped out of his chair and tip-toed behind Min Woo.

“You are so obnoxious.” Min Woo’s voice disappeared as he left the practice room. Kyu Won chuckled skipping behind the two.

Jae Young sighed at the chairs left in the middle. “At least clean up your mess.” The words grumbled out his breath. He lifted his headset and put it down. Standing to move the chairs where they belong.

As he moved them back he glanced at Eun Ji’s screen. She was looking around at different supports. They didn’t try practicing this new idea of hers today. The last thing he wanted was for more people to know about his adc past. But the words Eun Ji said before rang in his head. Jae Young pushed the last chair in and returned to his. Staring at her for a few seconds before clearing his throat.

“Hm?” Eun Ji’s wide eyes now faced him. For a split second pure curiosity filled them before quickly being replaced with a nervous energy.

“How did you know that I used to be an adc?” That wasn’t his real question but it was a start for Eun Ji.

“Ah…” The gears began turning in her head. He could see them being placed and cranking. Only a simple answer was needed but they always took so long to come out of her. “Well… you know… I just kept tabs on you…” Her voice hiding away in it’s dark cave.

“I know that. But how did you find that out? By the time my official profile was released I was already training as a support for two years.” Thinking back more than five years felt so weird. Has it really been that long ago?

Eun Ji tapped the keyboard a few times. “Well…” Something began to pull the nervous air out of her. Even with her facing straight at the screen he could see her falling back into her thoughts. The voice that was released sat stale. “I started playing SMITE a lot when I was twelve.” Her fingers stopped moving and they sat still on WASD. “After half a year I got bored watching pros and their streams. So I started looking for other streamers to watch. I found a lot of the current SKT players during their trainee days on stream. I’m not really sure how but I ended up finding yours at some point.”

They were the same age. Which meant he was also twelve. Three years before he switched roles. Back then he only played the game for fun. Almost no one was watching his streams. Handfuls of people would drop in but that was it. “So… you just randomly found my stream and just… remembered that I was an adc main all these years later?”

“No.” He had forgotten that she said she kept tabs on him. Eun Ji leaned back into her chair. Hands still resting on the keyboard and mouse. “I… kept coming back to your streams. You were the first person who was around my age playing the game while streaming that I found. So I just kept coming back to watch your streams. It was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one playing this game at my age.”

“There are ten year olds who play League. I’m sure someone at your school also played SMITE.” The words that came out from him were harsh. It was almost idiotic to think that way. Millions of people in the country played video games.

Eun Ji just shrugged. She didn’t react to his tone the way she usually did. “I guess kids in my school didn’t. Or they just liked to make fun of me for being bad.”

Now his gut began to knot up. Guilt falling onto his shoulders for saying anything. “I’m sure you weren’t bad maybe just-”

“It’s because I played weird. I lost a lot of games in conquest so no one would try to play with me.” This story was becoming familiar. “But I kept coming back to your streams because I noticed you also had a weird play style. You were also successful.”

“Yeah but I only played…” The words were stopped by a rock. The flow of thought had been halted. At that time he only played one game mode and it was-

“That’s actually why I started playing duel.”

Duel.

“At some point you branched out to joust and were still successful. I was too nervous to try anything new so I just kept playing duel for the next eight years of my life.” The color in her eyes drained down her face. Jae Young looked back at his screen to see it sleeping. “I didn’t have the money to subscribe to anyone or give donations. I also didn’t want anyone I watched to see that I watched them. So I only popped in every once in a while. Two years later I noticed you started to stream less and less. And I believe a year later you completely stopped.”

All the years were correct. That’s when he began training and then he had to switch roles. He turned back to take a peek at her face. Still facing forward at her screen with color dripping away from her lips.

“When all the teams release new profiles I mark the ones I find interesting. At that point I kind of… Forgot who you were. You made a whole new streaming account so I didn’t make the connection when I started to research you. But I dropped into a stream and marked your profile. So I’ve just kept tabs since then.”

Jae Young furrowed his eyebrows together. Something wasn’t adding up. “Ok but if you forgot about me then how and when did you make the connection?”

Eun Ji’s mouth twisted up. Color came back into her face as the nervous air was slowly pushed back into her. “A few weeks ago after we finished practicing I caught a glimpse of you logging into your personal account. It’s still the same username.”

“So…” All of this was just a weird coincidence. Eun Ji always had a huge focus on pro players and keeping tabs on them. He just happened to be one of many of those players. He wasn’t anything special in particular. “What you’re saying is you randomly found me streaming eight years ago, casually watched me, began playing duel because of me, forgot about who I was, rediscovered me through my public profile, and just recently put together your own puzzle?”

Silence filled the room for a second. “Yeah… I guess I did.”

Jae Young watched as her hands pulled away from the keyboard and mouse. Placing them into her stomach as they shook. He turned back to his screen, shaking the mouse to wake the computer up. The black screen jumped away and SMITE sat in front of him. Clicking on play he moved down to the friends list and invited Strawberry into his group. “Ok then.” There weren’t any thoughts floating around in his head. All of this would be processed later. Right now he only had one thing to accomplish. “Pick a support.”

From the corner of his eye he watched Eun Ji sit up from her chair. Stretching her arms up before putting her hands back onto her keyboard and mouse. A tiny smile graced her face. Jae Young couldn’t believe he was going to play adc again.

* * *

Backstage was buzzing.

The crowds roar was muffled.

Only a few steps out before the screams became clear.

“Today will tell us who the new Starwatch champion will be.”

Didn’t matter how blinding the lights were.

“The game has been gaining a lot of attention and traction over this past year in Korea. All thanks to-”

Steps into the booth drowned the sound.

Nothing else mattered except for the game.

Cameras pointed at every angle.

Screens shifting every second they could.

The typical chants to show support.

Keyboards and mouse clicks took over the booth.

“This game is insane! They’ve been pushing back and forth.”

Time slipped through and the end was coming.

Just a few more pushes and-

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

Headset was ripped off and the booth door swung open.

“We have a brand new Starwatch champion!”

Feet skipped out onto the center of the stage.

Hands reached together and shook up and down.

“Our new Starwatch champion is none other than…”

Lights came down the aisle and lit up the trophy as it rose from the stage.

“Taengoo!”

Her hands reached out to touch the trophy. It was bigger than anything before. She smiled and waved out to the crowd with one hand holding onto the trophy. This was only the beginning for her.

* * *

Tae Yeon rubbed her eyes. Flashes from cameras was something she could never get used to. Then again, that was the first time she faced so many in such a short period of time. Unzipping her green jacket and tossing it onto the bed. The hotel room was untouched expect for the towels scrunched together at the corner of the sink counter. She quickly unbuttoned her white collared uniform as she walked over to her luggage. There wasn’t time to relax. Pulling out a pastel pink sweater she threw the uniform into the bag and pulled the sweater over her head. Pacing over to the mirror and taking a quick peek at her face. Makeup was a mess. It would take an hour to fix up. Her phone buzzed wildly on the counter. Quickly swiping to answer and putting it on speaker.

“Lee Tae Yeon where are you?”

Tae Yeon rolled her eyes as she grabbed her cushion. “I’m in my room coach Moon.” Gently patting the cushion against her face to cover up the fading spots.

“Thank goodness. Can you get ready in less than thirty minutes?” Her voice was rushed.

“Yeah I guess.” Popping open blush to pat onto her cheeks. “I thought I could just go to dinner now.”

Coach Moon sighed. That wasn’t good. “I thought so too but they want to do a quick interview with you.”

Another interview. Ew. “About what?” Moving over to an eyeshadow palette. “The more I know beforehand the faster I can get to dinner.”

“It’s about becoming champion. You know that the game still hasn’t gained traction in Korea.” That wasn’t a complete truth. The game was quite popular in Korea. But when compared to other games it wasn’t at that same level. “But now that you’ve won they want your opinion on the future of the game.”

“God they want me to go to dinner late for my two minute opinion?” Eyeshadow was revived and bright.

“Lee Tae Yeon. Just say something civil.”

She took the cap off her eyeliner and laughed. “I know. The better I behave the better for you.”

“And the team.”

“Yeah them too.” Tae Yeon could feel coach Moon crushing her phone. Carefully she drew the dark black lines onto her eyes. “Have more faith in me. I’ll be fine!”

“Just in case I wrote something cheesy for you.”

Tae Yeon rolled her eyes as she capped the eyeliner and tossed it. “Thanks coach Moon.” Randomly reaching for a lipstick and popping it onto her lips.

“Ok see you in fifteen minutes.” With that she hung up.

Tae Yeon took a look in the mirror and sighed. She had already changed out of the team uniform. Smacking her lips together she turned on her heel back to her bag to grab her shirt. She would just have to change back again later.

* * *

Finally it was time for dinner. The second the interview ended she changed back out of uniform and into her own clothes. She swirled the cup in her hand before taking a sip. Dinner was no fun. Last year she was able to spend time with the SKT team because League championships were in America. No one sat with her this time. Starwatch teams were so small that the restaurant was empty. Tae Yeon looked at her phone for the hundredth time waiting for any kind of activity. All of her social media was slow because of the time zones. Time to scour the news.

It didn’t take long for her screen to flip to forums and Naver. Her victory was just a few hours ago. There had to be buzz about it. Only a few threads and articles popped up. It was too early for pop culture Korea to be awake. Her phone vibrated quickly and a message appeared onto the screen.

“Congrats loser.” Dae Sung’s name sat next to the bubble.

Tae Yeon rolled her eyes but found a smile on her face. Quickly she tapped on her keyboard to reply. “You better be winning. Or else.”

It didn’t take long for his response. “That’s a really lame threat. Plus are you trying to annoy me? You know I’m bench.”

It worked. “That just means you have to get good.”

The bubble that appeared next had a very friendly emoji. Tae Yeon giggled and went back to her fries. When she woke up she would see the news. About her and League.

* * *

“I can’t believe it! Thunder has obliterated ShoWTimE!” The crowd was small, the stadium was small, and there were only two announcers. It large enough to have their roars creep into the booth. Cameras panned around before settling on showing the whole stage. The victory screen had been sitting on screen for a few seconds but that was minutes when it came to live T.V. Kyung Tae blinked rapidly before shaking his head. The headset slowly fell off his ears and his body stumbled getting up from the chair. He could see his coach trying to rush him from backstage.

As quickly as he could leave the booth he met ShoWTimE in the middle of the stage. “Good game!” They shook hands and he left the stage.

Kyung Tae turned to the crowd. It was bigger than last year for sure. Slowly his feet moved towards the front of the stage. A trophy rose from the ground. It was moving the same pace he was. The world didn’t want to wait for him. He would have to pick up the pace. Strides grew longer and the lights grew stronger. The trophy had beat him somehow but that was better for T.V. His hand reached out and touched the trophy. Did he really win?

* * *

Today the team was coming back from the States. Several housemates gathered outside waiting for the cars to come at any minute. Even trainees had gathered amongst themselves to see their new champions. Quickly she skipped over to her fellow trainees. It was best to stick with them instead of going to the established pro players. “Ok everyone remember they’re all going to be tired from their trip so keep questions to a minimum.” Manager Cheon stood closest to the driveway. Her arms were folded over each other and was gently rocking back and forth to keep warm.

“I see one!” A voice rang out and a hand pointed out to a car entering the house driveway. There was a small welcome sign and a group began to wave it in the air.

The car rolled up to the group and came to a halt. Manager Cheon approached as the front window rolled down. “Hello!” The driver bowed their head and unlocked the doors. Cheon thanked them and stepped back with the group.

In a second the door slowly opened and Tae Yeon stepped out. She stretched up going onto her tippy toes. “Hello fellow Jin Air housemates!” The car’s trunk popped open. Tae Yeon turned her head to the back and came down from her tippy toes. “I’m sure you all missed me.”

Kyung Tae stumbled out as she moved to the trunk. He bowed at manager Cheon and then waved to the group. “Hi everyone.” Sauntering over to the trunk to grab his bag.

Cheon giggled, following them to help. “I’m sure you’re both very tired. You two are the first back. Our League team must be in traffic still.”

Tae Yeon turned to manager Cheon. “Hi-Rez teams still out?” One by one the bags came out of the trunk. Kyung Tae grabbing his last.

“Obviously. They actually left a few days ago.” Cheon gestured for the two to walk ahead of them. “We also have to wait for our other Star team players.” The three began to walk towards the small welcoming group. “Why are you two in the same car and not with your teams?”

That was a good question. Everyone in the house knew the two of them didn’t spend any time together. Tae Yeon only shrugged. “The other car was full.”

People began to wave the signs again. The trainees began move towards the group and clump up. Just wanting to get a better glimpse of the two. Bodies pushed against hers. It’s like they never saw those two before.

The three continued talking and walking back into the house. The group followed and tried to congratulate them at any chance. Voices were all murmuring together in hopes of getting a few words in. Tae Yeon kept smiling and trying to talk back. Kyung Tae couldn’t keep up with all the voices. There would be a chance to catch if she could speed up.

Before they reached the door Tae Yeon stopped and looked around. She had positioned herself to be as close to the door as possible. Her eyes landed on her. “Oh.” Tae Yeon took a step. She was getting closer. “You’re a trainee.” Her eyes lifted up to look at the other trainees that had come. “Oh don’t tell me… Your name is…” A finger tapped on her cheek. She was really trying. “Starts with a… Ah!” She snapped her fingers and pointed directly at her. “Song! Song Hana.”

“Yes!” Hana beamed. The Taengoo knew who she was. “I- I also play Starwatch!”

Tae Yeon gave a one sided grin. “Good luck trainee.”

Before she could say anything back, manager Cheon pushed the button and the door slid open. “Ok ok now go back to welcome the rest of your team. Leave these two alone.” Tae Yeon and Kyung Tae waved bye and the group said bye together. Cheon walked back to the driveway to wait for the rest of the cars.

“Oh my god. Hana she knew who you were!”

Hana turned to see Young Ae gleefully gripping her shoulder. “I know! That’s crazy!”

“You know what that means right?” Her face was very close to hers. “That means she remembered from your profile and stats! You’re worth remembering!”

That’s right. The pros all received the new trainees stats and profiles. She heard they placed bets on the ones that stay and the ones that leave. Hana flipped her hair. “I’m gonna make sure my name is known to everyone!”

“Oh another car!” Someone’s voice interrupted the conversation. Soon everyone was back up at the driveway waiting to see who was back. Hana followed with the smile still on her face. She couldn’t wait to tell her everyone back home.

* * *

It was finally break. Hana still went to school and visited home as often as she could but it was nice to have no obligations. Trainees were let out earlier than the pros. They had a few more jobs left to do before they could go out for vacation. “Abba! Uhma!” Hana called from the living room. “Hurry up the food is getting cold!” Despite calling out for them, her eyes were glued to the T.V. A recap of all the champions was on. Reporters were currently covering League. Korean teams were all struggling this past year. Hana sighed and took a sip of her cider.

“Ok! Here is the rice.” Her mom came in with a tray holding bowls of rice. Dad quickly followed with a bottle of cider and beer. “Yuhbo don’t drink that.”

“It’s only one.” He was smiling as he popped the can open. Hana giggled as she reached for a bowl of rice. “Ah!” He finished the first sip of his beer. “Hana how’s training with my old team?”

“Abba you already know.” She laughed with a mouthful of rice. It was the same question every time she came home. “It’s challenging but I keep surpassing the goals.”

The reporters switched topics. A photo of Taengoo holding her trophy took over the screen. “New Starwatch champion Taengoo has taken over headlines. The first Korean player to win the world championship. I predict the popularity of the game to skyrocket in Korea.”

“Yes the same has recently happened to Starcraft. Since Thunder’s win the game has suddenly been fully revived in the country.” Photos of both Taengoo and Thunder took up the screen.

“Are you sure you don’t want to become pro in Starcraft?” Hana could hear him smirking.

“Abba I’m gonna stick with Starwatch no matter what.” Shoveling more rice into her mouth. “Plus there’s no way I can follow your footsteps. I would just always be in your shadow.” Hana thought back to when she used to train for Starcraft. It always boiled down to her becoming as good as her dad.

“I’m sure if you kept practicing you would become better than me.”

“Yuhbo.” Her mom’s voice stopped the rest of the conversation. “Can we talk about something other than Hana’s decision for her career?”

“Yeah! Tell me how to survive trainee years!” Hana was glad mom diverted the conversation. She didn’t want another talk about following in his footsteps.

“I’m sure a lot has changed since I was a trainee.” Dad wasn’t being very helpful. “I think pros are nicer to them now. We used to pull pranks on trainees in my pro days.”

Hana chewed on her food thinking of the worst thing the pros had done. Comparatively it was nothing. “They just kind of ignore us. Something about a lot of trainees dropping out and not making the cut. So they purposely don’t get close with trainees since once they drop out they lose all connections.”

“At least we bonded with a few in my day. It’s true you lose contact once they drop out but it was still fun.” His words made it seem like current pros were missing out. “Becoming pro gets harder and harder. Unless you’re something extraordinary they won’t even think about a contract.”

“Like Strawberry!” The words came tumbling out with a few grains of rice.

“Song Hana. Finish chewing first.” Mom’s snappy voice was something she didn’t think she would miss.

“Strawberry?”

Hana quickly finished chewing and swallowed what she had. “Yeah remember her?! This was before I signed onto Jin Air. SKT needed to bring in a benched player but in order to stall for time they asked her play a duel match against Snoopy. Up until then she was completely faceless but was the number one duel ranked player in SMITE.”

“Where is she now?”

“She signed onto SKT!” She could see confusion in his face. It was hard for him to keep up nowadays. “There are a lot of rumors that SKT is creating a new kind of team just because of her. She’s crazy good!” She would have to turn down her excitement for a second. Reaching for some banchans and eating them. “She’s so lucky. No trainee years and gets signed onto the best team in the world.”

That was the wrong thing to say. “What’s wrong with Jin Air?” His voice was no longer playful. “They now have two champions on their team. And they used to have me.”

“Yeah but SKT has always been number one.” There was no way to turn the train around now.

“Not always. They have their down years. Like right now. A lot of their teams are struggling to even get into championship games.” Now his words were spilling with rice.

“Well bad years always means that good years are coming!”

A cold hand gently touched Hana’s shoulder. “Stop it.” Her mom’s voice was hard. She was reaching out to dad as well. “Hana is back for break. Let’s not get into this. Please.”

Hana nodded and bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry yuhbo. And,” He turned to look at her. “I’m sorry Hana.”

She could only return a smile back. The three continued eating their dinner. She was going to show him. She would become the best player in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuhbo - Married couples call each other this. Essentially means 'honey'  
> Banchan - collective word to describe side dishes


	7. Debut the new team

“Manager Kang. We have a problem.” Coach Min stepped into his office without a knock. It was too urgent for that.

“Coach Min I’m aware.” Kang pushed his screen projections to the side and gestured Min to sit down.

Min sighed and plopped into the chair. “There isn’t a single person in esports who will allow the new team to debut. I have contacted manager after manager. Even going down to see if I could speak in person. The esports association just won’t allow it. The reason being that they would have no one to compete against.”

Kang tapped his desk. His eyes looking at the screens he had up. After a few seconds he began to move them around again. Opening and closing different pages. “I’ll contact teams themselves. If a single team is willing to verse them the association will have to make room for them.”

“Well it’s not just the association. The different game studios would have to adjust their scheduling and do a major overhaul in-” Min was cut off by Kang who waved his hand at her to stop.

“Min do you know why I picked you to coach this team?”

“I have an impressive history.” There was more to this but it was better for Kang to speak.

“You really do. Your team is the reason female pro teams even exist. The association refused to let females compete competitively. They said it would cost too much and that game companies wouldn’t change their schedules to accommodate the new teams. Despite the fact female teams overseas were already starting to take off.” Kang turned in his chair to face Min. “The biggest reason they changed their minds was because you and your team beat all other female teams abroad.”

Min took in a deep breath and sighed. “My manager had a lot of faith. So did my coach. They kept pushing for us.”

Kang smiled and turned back to the screens. “And we will continue pushing this team to greatness.”

“Thank you.” Min stood up and bowed. “I will continue asking for their debut.” Before she could hear his response, Min turned on her heel and walked out of his office. Many more phone calls would have to be made.

* * *

Eun Ji scrolled through news articles. Reading each title carefully. Most were negative.

_ SKT tries to debut new co-ed team. Spells disaster. _

Forums weren’t any better. Most of them talked about how desperate SKT was to try and crawl out of the pit they had fallen into. Most of the comments were how male and females couldn’t play together. There was always someone who had to ‘scientifically explain’ why males and females couldn’t play together. Something about reaction times being different. None of it was good.

“Stop looking at that stuff and just eat.” Jae Young pushed her phone down. “It only leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”

“Ah… I guess you’re right…” It was hard not to keep looking. After all that’s all she’s ever done. Placing her phone upside down, Eun Ji looked down at her plate of food. Compared to last year she was eating like a king. Portions had gotten bigger and it was no longer mainly fruit. There was still a lot of progress to make. She took her chopsticks and began to scoop her rice up.

Jae Young watched her for a second before returning to his own food. The two have been talking a lot more lately. She noticed he didn’t leave the house for holiday break. Almost a whole month with the house mostly empty. They had spent it training her physically. Coach Min always made sure their schedules were well rounded. But the rest of the team was used to physical exercise on a daily basis. Eun Ji still couldn’t get the hang of it. It would almost be a year and she was only finally getting the hang of it all.

Suddenly a hand gently grasped her upper arm. It could only be Jae Young’s hand but it still shocked her. “Ah sorry I forgot.” His voice was so soft. “Did you do the arm exercises I gave you this morning?” His hand gently squeezed her arm. It wasn’t just bone anymore. Eun Ji was proud of her progress.

She gave a very small smile at him. “I did. It was really helpful. My elbows don’t hurt as much.” Gently shaking her arm to loosen his already loose grip. Jae Young nodded approval and let go of her. It wasn’t like he was hurting her or anything. In fact, it was very warm and gentle. But coming from Jae Young it just felt… weird.

“Sorry.”

Eun Ji almost missed that he was speaking. He had murmured the words out from under his breath. “What?”

“Sorry about grabbing your arm so suddenly.” He wasn’t looking at her. Just kept looking forward at something. “I forgot…”

The first apology was enough for her. The second one was unexpected. “It-it’s ok Jae Young. I… I don’t mind it as much as before.” Compared to a year ago this was a huge improvement. No one could help her with guiding her training because of it. The past month training one-on-one with Jae Young lessened it.

Jae Young frowned a bit. He was really a soft boiled egg this morning. “I still shouldn’t have just touched your arm.” Now looking down at his food he pushed it around for a bit. “It’s nice to see your improvement.”

Eun Ji could feel herself beaming. It wasn’t a lot but every little step she was taking was to make her better. Oddly enough almost all of the help came from Jae Young. It was still hard to tell if he did it because he felt bad or if he genuinely wanted to help. Either way Eun Ji was grateful.

“There you two are.” Kyu Won’s high pitched voice reached her ears. “Coach Min had us running around the ENTIRE house.” Plopping her plate down onto the table. Min Woo and Se Bin followed suit.

“Noona the day you get caught up is the day you suffer.” Min Woo shook his head. “I know they’re pushing us even harder for the spring season but that was really rough. Especially after break.”

“Oh speaking of break what did you do unnie?” Kyu Won’s head turned to Jae Young. “How about you oppa?”

Jae Young shrugged. “Just kept practicing and training.”

Eun Ji nodded. “Same. I don’t really have people to visit during the holidays. It was nice though. I’ve been making a lot of improvements!”

“So… You both stayed at the house over break?” That tone only meant one thing for Kyu Won. Looking up it was written all over her face too. The smirk and raised eyebrow.

“Noona shut up and eat.” Se Bin’s face was practically in his soup. It was enough to get Kyu Won riled up. Min Woo groaned as he went right into eating. It was nice to have everyone back again. It just meant they were that much closer to their debut.

* * *

A date was finally set. Coach Min stretched up and brought her arms down. Usually dates and games were routine. This time it was different. If anything went wrong the association would turn their backs on the team. KT Rolster was the only team willing to deviate from their schedule. The teams profile had been publicly released, uniforms were all fitted, extra practice outside of gaming was added, and cars had been arranged. Everything was going accordingly.

“Coach Min.” A knock came from the door. “Have a minute?” Kang’s voice was muffled.

“Yes please come in.” Min put her phone down. She was sitting on her desk scrolling through the schedule.

The door slid open and Kang made his way to Min. “How are things looking?”

Min pushed the screen down and sighed. “From our side things are good. Eun Ji has recently made great physical progress. Hopefully by summer she will be able to follow her teammates exercises. They all have their uniforms and are well practiced.” Without looking Min tapped on her screen a few times to pull up news articles. “On the other side there is heavy criticism on SKT’s new co-ed team. All profiles have been publicly released and the game date as well. The association is only giving us this one game.” She could feel her other hand tapping on the desk.

“Sounds like things are going well.” Kang had a strange smile on his face. “No one likes new things so this is exactly how I imagined things to go.”

“Yes but… A lot of things are at stake here.” Min couldn’t help but feel worried.

“That didn’t stop you before.”

He was right. It was over thirty years ago but those memories were so fresh in her mind. The team was working hard. They would do just fine.

* * *

Today was the day. Manager Kang and coach Min sat at the front discussing business. Jae Young and Eun Ji sat behind them and the rest of the team was at the very back. There was traffic as usual. Everyone got to finally wear their brand new SKT jackets and jerseys. Jae Young couldn’t stop looking down at the sleeves of his jacket. This was a color he never thought he would get the chance to wear. Eun Ji was also wrapped up in the color. He could feel a gentle shake against his left leg. Looking over he could see her right leg bouncing. That was annoying.

“Eun Ji.” Immediately her head turned to look up at him. She was a deer in headlights. “Give me your hand.”

“What?” He could barely hear her voice.

“Just give me your hand.” The faster he could try this the faster he could make up a solution.

“O-ok…” She took her hand out from the sleeve and slowly moved it towards him.

There was no guarantee this would work. If it didn’t he was given a few more ideas that might work. His left hand reached out and cupped under her hand. Eun Ji jumped a little bit but didn’t move away. That was a good sign. There was a chance being given to him. Slowly he began to squeeze her hand. Her leg slowly stopped bouncing. Jae Young smiled at the result. Quickly he put his right hand over hers to enclose it and squeezed between his hands. He could see her face relaxing and a sigh of relief escape. Jae Young couldn’t believe it worked.

“Oh…” It was so quiet and shocked. Eun Ji just looked at his hands for a bit. “Thank you…” Jae Young could feel her giving his hand a squeeze back. Her head turned away towards the window. The other hand covered part of her face with the jacket sleeve.

This was good. Jae Young moved his right hand away and dropped their hands down onto the seat in between them. The car began to move again. Throughout the trip he would squeeze her hand when she started to bounce her leg again. It worked every time.

* * *

“Lights are all operating. Teams currently backstage getting ready. Door haven’t opened yet. We have time for one more mic check.” The stage manager was all over the place. A quiet knock came onto their door.

“Who is it?” Kang’s small speech was interrupted.

“Oh Sang Wook!” A familiar cheery voice came clearly from behind the door.

“Oppa?” Eun Ji perked up hearing his voice.

Kang smiled and opened the door. Sang Wook peeked in and smiled. “Just wanted to wish SKT good luck!” His eyes wandered around the room before landing onto Eun Ji. “Eun Ji I gotchu you something!” His hand appeared behind the door and tossed a small rectangular object.

Eun Ji caught it and looked at it in her hands. It was a strawberry flavored My Chew. He knew her too well. A small giggle came out of her before she could stop it. “Thank you oppa!” From the corner of her eye she could see Jae Young rolling his eyes. Sang Wook saw it too because for a flash his face turned sour. “Go back to work now.” Eun Ji waved him goodbye. Without another word he gave her a thumbs up and closed the door.

A pause filled the room. Min clapped her hands together and looked at Kyu Won. “Kyu Won. Tell us about KT Rolster’s teams.”

Kyu Won tapped her finger under her chin. “Truthfully you don’t have to worry about the male team. They’re painfully average.” That was the type of response everyone expected from her. “But the female team has a new support.” Everyone’s bodies leaned in as if that would help them hear better. “She’s crazy good. She can play any god in the support role it’s crazy!” Any god? That was impossible. “Not only that but she’s crazy adaptable.” Everything about her was crazy. “Each game she plays in a totally different style. Be careful. I’ve seen her go 0-20 on purpose and then completely destroyed the enemy team after mid game.”

Eun Ji slowly processed the information. Kyu Won made it sound like she could do anything. “So…” Jae Young sat back into the couch. “She can play every single god as a support?” Kyu Won nodded to his question. “How come we haven’t seen her profile?” Eun Ji could hear his irritation. He hated not knowing information.

“Because she’s only been a trainee for like… Two years. She wasn’t even benched when I was at KT Rolster. I only heard from my old trainee friends that she was super recently placed onto the team to replace the old support.”

“What’s her name?” Eun Ji thought through of all the players she kept tabs on. There was no way she didn’t see her at some point.

“Stage name is SoyBn. Real name is Kang Mi Sook.”

Kang Mi Sook. “Oh!” Eun Ji clapped her hands together. “She can’t play every god as a support. She hasn’t been able to play a hunter in that role because all hunters are ADC’s. There’s no way her team would allow two hunters in one lane. Same goes with an assassin. That would make the team too squishy.”

“So it’s just like me.” Jae Young’s body was now relaxed. “I can do the same thing. Guardian, warrior, and mages can all easily become a support.”

Kyu Won huffed and sank back into her seat. “Don’t be mad when she beats you.”

Another knock came onto the door. No one could respond before the voice spoke. “SKT places now.”

Everyone stood up out of habit. Eun Ji fumbled with the My Chew. Without Jae Young’s weight on the couch she sank further into it. She could hear his groan as he reached out his arm to help her. “Thank you…” There was tingle in her hand as she took hold of his. On her feet it spread all the way down her spine. It really was time for them to appear.

Backstage look the same from when she was last here. It really was almost a year. Eun Ji felt her fists clench up with every step towards the stage. They all stood in order. Jae Young leading them through the curtains. Lights seeped through underneath tickling their shoes. “Eun Ji.” She could barely hear his voice. Al the blood was pounding against her ears. “Give me one of your My Chews.”

Eun Ji nodded and reached her hand out. Jae Young grabbed the stick and quickly unwrapped it. A white packaged rectangle popped out. In a split second he had unwrapped that one. “Jae Young why do you want a My-”

It was so fast she couldn’t see him move. The My Chew was pushed into her mouth as she spoke. Jae Young put the rest of it in his left pocket. “Just… Watch me.”

Strawberry filled her mouth. The scent filled her nose and into her head. Nerves that stood up began to fall back down.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Sang Wook’s voice echoed throughout the stadium. “Please welcome KT Rolster’s male team!” Chants came up for the team as they walked onto the stage. “Now please welcome a whole new team. Something never done before. SKT’s co-ed team!” That was it. Jae Young began walking out from behind the curtain. Eun Ji followed two steps behind him. She had to make sure they were spaced out to prevent tripping. There wasn’t a chant for their team yet. But at least there was some cheering and screaming.

The booth door opened. Each one of them filed in and sat down at their pc. Everything was already set up. Eun Ji quickly put her headset on. The crowd’s voice was drowned out. She looked across to look at KT Rolster. Kyu Won wasn’t wrong. Their male team wasn’t a threat. Her hands began to shake a little. Without thinking she bit down on the My Chew in her mouth. More strawberry was released into her mouth and went through her nose. The shaking went away. She had to focus. There was a game to win.

* * *

“Game one goes to SKT!” The T.V. showed the crowd. Their noise muted for the announcers to continue speaking. “Milk was once on Incredible Miracle the team known for always losing. I believe this is his first win as a pro.”

Mi Sook tapped her fingers against her arm. How boring. Although she didn’t think the male team would lose. She pushed a button on her phone and quickly scrolled through her notes. “Come on Mi Sook we have to get on stage.”

“Yeah I know unnie. I just need… A few more seconds.” There it was. Notes about Eun Ji and Jae Young. Their public profile had almost no information. But there was always a way to find more.

“Mi Sook you can do that after our game.” In Hye stormed up to her.

“Yeah yeah.” Mi Sook pushed her phone away and stood up. There was enough information needed to win. “I just had to refresh my memory. Afterall,” She stretched her arms up as she headed towards the door. “This new Milk seems to be less sour.”

* * *

The female team came onto the stage. They each high fived the male team as they entered the booth. Eun Ji watched as Mi Sook sat down at the last PC. Jae Young wasn’t wrong that he could play the same roles she could as a support but she just couldn’t stop thinking about how she would turn it into a situation that would give them the upper hand. She had sat down and began messing around. The crowd has given a short break as the female team set up. Mi Sook looked up from her screen and waved at Eun Ji. Did she know she was watching her? Quickly, Eun Ji hid behind her screen.

“What’s your idea?” Jae Young’s voice came through the headset.

How did he know she was thinking? Eun Ji looked down and saw her hand tapping next to his left hand. That was a good give away. “I’m thinking… Of playing Izanami.”

“Izanami is gonna be hard to pair with.”

She could feel his fingers on top of hers. Something small and rectangular slipped underneath her hand. Eun Ji looked down to see a My Chew. Was he just giving them to her whenever she was nervous? Taking a glance over at him she could see nothing. His eyes were looking straight at his screen. “Maybe we’ll just wait and see their picks.”

Jae Young nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Yeah. It sounded good to her too.

* * *

“We’re getting close to the late game and KT Rolster has the advantage.” All towers were down except for one on KT Rolster. Their left phoenix was on a timer and titan was taking damage.

“An enemy has been slain.” The announcer's voice came over into Eun Ji’s ears. Taking a quick glance she saw who had slain who.

“Baem is a cold hearted killer. Coming in and picking off opponents at every opportunity.”

Se Bin gently smacked the table. “We’re not gonna win with this strategy. I can only pick them off if they have no sight and during team fights. Da Ji’s escape is garbage.”

“They’re coming down mid lane.” Min Woo’s calm voice cut through. “If they win this fight we lose.”

“UGH!” Kyu Won violently shook her mouse.

“SoyBn has taken out Honey Bee! Despite the lack of damage she was able to use Khepri's two for the kill secure.”

Eun Ji glanced back and forth between the map and builds. There was no way to catch up against them. They had a lead in gold, kills, and structures. “I’m gonna back.” Jae Young began his backing animation.

“Don’t!” Eun Ji moved towards his position. Fog of war would conceal them in the jungle.

“Eun Ji they’re at our phoenix!” Despite what he said Jae Young stopped backing and began moving towards mid lane.

“Switch with me!”

“What?!” Everyone’s voice came through her headset.

“Just switch with me!” Her head turned to Jae Young so quickly that the headset sat crooked.

Jae Young stared at her for a millisecond. “Ok.”

“Keep running to mid lane and on the count of three switch seats.” This was crazy. But for just a few minutes if she could take over Ganesha they could win. Jae Young would be better as Izanami right now. Movement, damage, and aggressive. “Three.” They got close. The phoenix’s health fell. “Two.” Se Bin and Min Woo moved out from fountain. “One switch!”

Eun Ji ducked under as Jae Young jumped over. He plopped into her chair and began moving. Sliding into his chair Eun Ji took over Ganesha. That was a little rough and their headsets haven’t switched but this would do for now.

“Did Strawberry and Milk just switch places?” Heads were scratching at the move. Mumbles came from the crowd as heads turned and asked what was going on.

Mi Sook had seen what happened. “Now that’s interesting.” Her eyes went back to her screen. They had literally switched roles. Anything could happen now.

Coach Min jogged over to the edge of the curtain. Peeking out to try and look at the booth. What were they doing?

“Jae Young I’m going to ult in. Once I do that you do whatever it takes to deal as much damage as possible. Se Bin ult after mine finishes.” She only needed two minutes.

“Got it noona.” Se Bin changed route and regrouped with Min Woo. “Most of their beads and cc immunity is down.”

“Perfect.”

“Milk, I mean Strawberry is rushing out of the jungle and traps KT Rolster in her ult!” The four pillars rose from the ground and purple electricity covered the borders of the square.

A dark circle came up under the enemy team and exploded. “Izanami’s ult goes off and silences the whole team.” There were only four of them but the one Se Bin took down would be spawning in forty seconds.

“Milk is shredding KT Rolster apart. With Izanami’s one active Milk was able to take down SoyBn!” Eun Ji smiled as she charged in to stun the adc. It was an odd choice to take out the support first but it made sense. She had been a problem in their lane the whole game. Breaking up their combos and even getting kills.

The four pillars fell and the two remaining players leaped out to try and escape. “Se Bin!”

“The Da Ji ult goes off! Baem lands chains on the remaining two gods!” The fox jumped off her Paolao and the two were pulled in and stunned. “Mandu comes in with his two and slams down for the kill!”

Ten seconds before one came back up. “Go down mid and just rush titan. Jae Young built enough armor for me to tank.”

The five of them ran down the mid lane. Minions haven’t arrived but it didn’t matter. “Strawberry tanks the phoenix and the rest of the team does quick work to take it down.” The phoenix screeched and exploded into a blue ball of fire. “Strawberry continues to take the hits into the titan!”

Loki spawned into the fountain. “SoYu has spawned back in. Turning invisible immediately. The best choice would be to take out the adc.”

Eun Ji didn’t have to tell Jae Young anything. Izanami sank into the ground and dashed backwards. Coming up invisible and landing next to the hiding Se Bin. Eun Ji put down a sentry ward and turned back to the titan. “SKT has a visual on Loki now!”

Da Ji laughed and teleported to Loki. “Baem takes down SoYu once more with the three, one, and two combo landing basic attacks in between each ability.” Izanami ran back into the titan’s area activating her one.

“I don’t have a lot of health left.” Eun Ji began to step back and the titan followed.

“I’m coming in!” Kyu Won spawned into the fountain.

“Honey Bee lets out a map long ult!” The blue portal pierced through the map. “And it hits the titan for massive damage!”

The crowd riled up. Their screams mashed together with a sloppy chant. “Janus ult is something you don’t want to mess with late game. Honey Bee not only landed damage but is now able to move through portals she created to reach the fight faster.”

“The enemy team is spawning back!” Four figures popped up into the fountain.

“Keep hitting titan I got this.” Min Woo jumped into action.

“Bellona ults just outside the fountain ring of death! Stunning all four as they moved together out to try and defend their titan.”

“This one is gonna hurt KT Rolster. Mandu dishes out with the ult two combo.”

Suddenly the screen turned black. The blue titan came back and fell to the ground. Victory faded onto the screen. “And SKT takes the win today! Going two zero against KT Rolster!”

They won. Eun Ji lifted her hands from the keyboard and mouse. Did they really just win?

Mi Sook covered her mouth. Only giggles could pop out. “What’s so funny?” In Hye looked over to her. Unhappiness all over her face.

“Oh. Nothing unnie.” She looked over to the SKT booth. Those two were definitely interesting.

“We won!” Kyu Won burst from her seat. The headset pulled her back into her seat. “We won we won we won!” She shot over to Se Bin and hugged him.

Eun Ji fumbled taking off her headset. She didn’t want to look out of the booth. Turning to look over at the rest of the team she saw Kyu Won, Se Bin, and Min Woo high fiving and hugging each other. “Hey.” Jae Young stood up and gently pushed Eun Ji to the side. “We have to switch back.” Lifting his headset to show the tangled mess they had gotten into.

“Oh right.” Her hand reached out and stumbled around the table to pick up her headset. The two switched back and untangled the headsets.

“Ok guys we need to compose ourselves.” Min Woo brushed his jersey down. Kyu Won nodded and followed suit. He would be leading them out the booth.

The door slid open and Min Woo led them to the middle of the stage. KT Rolster did the same. Their male team filing out behind the female team. They each shook hands with each other down the line. “Good game you two.” It was SoyBn. She smiled and squeezed Eun Ji’s hand. “You two really are exciting.” Swiftly letting go of her hand to shake Jae Young’s. How odd.

“SKT’s new team is not only different for being the first co-ed team, they’re also different for being the first team ever to literally have their adc and support switch roles.”

“They really did shake things up today.”

Eun Ji swallowed the air. She had learned what they were supposed to do next. The five turned to the crowd. She was finally going to look out at the sea of people. Lights were blinding just like last year. The chant was disorganized but they were genuine. Warmth crept through from the bottom of her feet up to her nose. It felt so nice.

* * *

Everyone had filed out of the stadium. Stage crew began cleaning up and setting up for the next game. Jae Young had given Eun Ji back her My Chew. She had taken out a third one to chew on while they waited. Some photographers wanted to take photos of the new team. There would be articles about them in just a few hours. “Next the adc and support duo.” Jae Young walked out onto the stage. Eun Ji skipped behind to catch up. “Ok stand over here please.” The photographer pointed to a spot on the ground. The two shuffled over to his desired spot. “Ok now what do we call you two?”

“What?” That question seemed unnecessary. Their names were public.

“Just Strawberry and Milk.” Jae Young’s voice was flat. He didn’t want this to linger for any longer.

“No I meant your duo name.”

Duo name? “Wouldn’t it just be Strawberry Milk?” Eun Ji didn’t understand what was going on.

“That’s too bland.” The photographer pondered for a bit. “I really liked what the announcers said. You two really did shake things up. Let’s call you two…” Before finishing his sentence the camera snapped a few times. “Strawberry Milkshake.”

Strawberry Milkshake. Would that really stick?

“Say kimchi!”

Eun Ji looked up to Jae Young. He must have had the same thought because the two locked eyes for a second. His eyebrow raised with a slight lift in his lip. Well they both didn’t want this to go on for any longer. They both turned back to the photographer. “Kimchi.”


	8. Mixing Strawberries and Milk

Coach Min paced back and forth. They were waiting for her to speak. She could only keep scrolling through the association’s letter.

“Coach Min.” Eun Ji raised her hand. Min turned to see her slowly lifting her arm up. A small giggle escaped. Eun Ji always so innocent. “What did the association say?”

“Well.” Min closed the screen she had up. Grounding herself in the middle of the room. “They accepted our proposal.” The five all perked up. “However, you are still the only co-ed team in existence. So we are unable to join this year's bracket.”

A large groan came from all of them. “We have to wait another year?” She knew Kyu Won would be the first to speak.

“Unfortunately yes. The association is working with others worldwide to create more co-ed teams. A few in Korea have already started setting up their own teams. The bad news is it will take at least a year for everything to be finalized. But the good news is now that you’re public we can do things other than stay in the house and practice. In fact I have our first team activity.” Min didn’t have to see their excitement. She popped the screen back up and flipped it for them to see a calendar. “The rest of this spring season is to promote the team, do promotions, and gain more traction.” Most of the days were filled with something alongside usual practice. “First things first. We have to make and remake each person's image.”

Jae Young rolled his eyes falling into the couch. The weight bumped Eun Ji up making her jump a little. “Do we have to?”

“Oh please oppa it’s not that hard.” Kyu Won was spinning in her chair. “I’m Honey Bee because I’m sweet and leave behind a sting. See? Making an image is easy.”

A low snarl came out of Jae Young as he shot daggers at Kyu Won. “I spent an entire year with my image as some cold hearted and silent ass. Changing my image is going to take forever.”

“That’s because you are one.”

“You stupid little-”

“What if we did something together?” Eun Ji’s arm grabbed a hold of Jae Young before she could. Min gestured for her to continue. “At the time I just shrugged it off but that photographer called us Strawberry Milkshake. I’ve been looking around afterwards the name he gave us is sticking around.”

Min nodded. “What were you thinking Eun Ji?”

“Well… I haven’t thought that far…” Sulking back into the couch. Min was pretty sure the two of them were inseparable at this point. She almost never saw them apart. They had to be close enough to think of something. “Jae Young what do you think?”

A large huff came out of him. “I don’t know. Something cute I guess.”

“You cute?” Min Woo began chuckling. “So Kyu Won is the sweet stinger, Se Bin is the silent dark one, and I’m the bright faced one of the team. And you two are just going to be cute? I believe noona can do it but I’m not sure about you hyung.”

“I’m cute?” Eun Ji’s arm returned from Jae Young’s arm.

Min giggled out loud. That grabbed everyone’s attention to turn back to her. “Good thing manager Kang arranged for the team’s first photoshoot tomorrow. We can mess around with everyone’s image while that happens. Sound good?”

“Yes ma’am!” The five spoke together with all varying degrees of excitement. They just had to take things one step at a time.

* * *

Eun Ji shuffled down to coach Min’s office. She called her down for some reason. Maybe to further discuss what the team meeting was about. “Coach Min.” Gently tapping against her door.

“Come in Eun Ji.” Pressing the button the door slid open. “Have a seat.” The room was filled with photos. They were all from her pro days. Eun Ji plopped down into the chair and folded her hands into her lap. “This will be short I just have one question for you.”

“Oh… What is it?” Seemed unusual to have her come to her office.

“What’s your relationship like with Jae Young?” That was a question she wasn’t expecting. Her hands gripped each other and the nerves began to dance down her spine. “Just be honest. This will help with image and future scheduling.”

What was their relationship? It had been almost a year when they met each other. It was pretty obvious he hated her. “Truthfully… I don’t really know.”

Min’s brows furrowed together. “You don’t know? But you two spend a lot of time with each other. I hear from other house members that you two regularly eat meals together and are always practicing with one another. Recently I’ve seen you two exercising together.”

That was true. It wasn’t something that was hidden. Anyone could tell that the two were together a lot. “Aren’t we supposed to be? He’s my support so practicing with him just seems natural.”

“Most adc support duos don’t spend that much time with each other.” Was that true? Eun Ji quickly flipped through trying to think of the other adc support duos in the house. Were they not together all the time? “Just tell me your side then. How do you feel about Jae Young?”

That was much easier to answer. Min’s gentle smile unwound the nerves that were dancing. A wave of relief lapped over her head. “Well… I know he hated me at first. But he seemed to just be around me. Maybe because he had a hard time connecting with others in SKT. He mentioned once that he wanted to break out of his old habits. I know the house didn’t really like him at first.” Eun Ji paused to try and read coach Min. She simply gestured her to continue. “I’m sure he’s just with me out of… Pity? He’s not the nicest person but we work well. A lot of the time he helps me but it’s his way of helping not like how Min Woo helps me. I don’t mind his company. I kind of like it. It’s better than no one.”

“What about the switching roles? When did you guys practice that?” That’s right. No one else knew about this except for them.

“Well… Jae Young used to be an adc.” Min’s eyebrows raising showed that she didn’t know this. “So I thought it would be fun to switch roles. We’ve been doing that whenever we practice on our own. He seems to enjoy being an adc again.”

Min slowly nodded. “Why did you switch during the game?”

Eun Ji couldn’t explain it. At the time there was so much going on. The only goal was to win. “I just thought we needed to. Jae Young is a better strategist. He was the only one who could have played Izanami better in that situation.”

“I see.” Min smiled and stood up. “Thank you Eun Ji. I’m sure you feel like your relationship with Jae Young is still rough on the edges. But I see you two as great teammates.”

The words brought a warm fuzzy feeling to her toes. “Thank you coach Min.” Giving a small bow, Eun Ji shuffled out of her office. What did Jae Young think of them?

* * *

Jae Young sauntered over to coach Min’s office. He had been mulling over a new image ever since the meeting earlier. Knocking twice on the door before speaking. “Coach Min.”

“Come in Jae Young.” Pushing the button he watched the door slide open. “Have a seat.” Jae Young looked around the room. Photos from her pro days were up on the walls. As well as a pc in the corner. Grabbing the chair he pulled it towards him and sat down. “This will be quick. I just want to ask you a question.”

“Ok.” Odd to have been called to her office for a simple question.

“What’s your relationship like with Eun Ji? Just be honest. This will help with image and future scheduling.” This was the question? Coach Min wasn’t the type to be asking something like this only for imaging.

She must have seen the look on his face. Min didn’t say anything but patiently waited for an answer. “We’re partners.”

“That’s it?” He knew she wanted to hear more than that. “I’ve noticed you two spend a lot of time with each other. More than most teammates in the house.”

The faster he gave her his thoughts, the faster he could go do something else. Jae Young thought for a second longer. “Coach Min being on this team means a lot to me. I don’t want to repeat my mistakes from my time at Incredible Miracle. I’m not very good at being social. So I just hung around Eun Ji because she was the easiest to be with.” He took a glance at Min. She wanted more. “I know it’s weird that I kind of willingly hang out with her outside of practice and during my free time. Truthfully I find her quite annoying.”

Coach Min’s brows furrowed together. Jae Young groaned deep in his gut. Those words crossed a line. “I’ve noticed that she’s made a lot of improvements lately. Have you been helping her?”

Back in the day Min was known for her acute observations. It made her one of the best players because of it. That observation was going to kill Jae Young. “I have. She hasn’t received proper training and everyone else in the house is unhelpful. They just say vague things to her. Almost like they don’t want to push her for some reason. They treat her like some kind of… cute pet.” Those were words he never thought would spew out. A hand that had reached deep down and pulled them out.

“Can I ask you where you learned to play adc?”

Wasn’t this supposed to be short? “I actually used to be an adc main. That was years ago. I switched to support before my information went public so almost no one knows about it.”

“I see…” Her head bobbed up and down. “Why did you switch with Eun Ji during the game?”

Jae Young didn’t really know why. It was all so sudden. There was no reason to listen to her during the game. “I… Don’t know. Eun Ji just told me to.” He had never seen her so worked up before. Such a clear objective being communicated to him without any stumbling. Like a different person had taken over her during the game. “Looking back it was a good call. I’m better at being aggressive during win or lose situations. Eun Ji had better control as a support.”

Min smiled and stood to her feet. “Well I just want to let you know that I think you two are a wonderful team. Despite how you feel about her personally. You’re free to go now.”

Jae Young gave a small bow. Quickly shuffling out of her office and into the hall. Was he the only one who thought poorly of Eun Ji?

* * *

Kyu Won swiveled around in her chair. She was bored and everyone knew it. Hairdressers and wardrobe moved from place to place finishing up everyone’s look. “Can we get started? Or at least I get started?”

Manager Kang crossed his arms over and sighed. “Kyu Won, Min Woo, and Se Bin get started. We’re still trying to finalize Jae Young and Eun Ji.”

“Yay!” Kyu Won burst from her seat and skipped over to coach Min. The rest followed suit.

“Ms. Kim.” Eun Ji turned to see a rack of clothing being dragged to her. “We have a few more outfits for you to try on. Are there any here you would be against wearing?” They had been doing this for hours. Everyone got a color and style to wear but they were still playing dress up with her.

“Ah…” She didn’t have the heart to tell them she didn’t want to wear any of the clothes. Sleeves were too short, skirts were too high, shoes were uncomfortable, and it was all so… “Well…”

The head stylist frowned down on her. “What if we...” Her arms reached out and gripped down onto her wrists. Pulling her closer to the rack. Another stylist reached for something she pointed at. “Rolled up these sleeves and-” Icy fingers curled under her sleeves. Pining and rolling them up. Eun Ji could feel every nerve standing up as bugs crawled from her wrists into her spine.

“Ah!”

A few heads turned to look straight at her. The stylist’s hands went up into the air. Eun Ji stumbled back five steps. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. The yelp came from deep down her gut.

Jae Young looked over his stylist shoulder. Eun Ji had her arms crossed over her chest with her wrists meeting up. “Excuse me.” Waving the stylist to the side, he walked towards her.

“Ma’am we have to try something outside your comfort zone in order for us to continue with this shoot.” Her arms began to reach and pine at Eun Ji’s arms.

“No she doesn’t.” One arm stretched out towards the stylist pushing her back. The other gently landed onto Eun Ji’s shoulder. Giving her a light squeeze he could feel the tension falling as her arms loosened up. Jae Young took a look at the rack. It was all so typical. Kyu Won would have loved it. “Here.” Reaching out he pulled out a few items. He had seen a few people wear this combo before. “Wear this Eun Ji.”

Her arms stretched out to take each item. Slowly inspecting what he had just picked out. A light red sweater, mint skirt, and black leggings lay across her arms. It was simple and the stylists could fix it up. “It stays with her color scheme and still makes something cute.” Also keeping her covered up.

“Th… Thank you…” She had buried her face away. Darting over to the changing rooms to avoid anymore eyes.

Eun Ji closed and locked the door as quickly as possible. Taking in deep breaths to recover. Looking down at the clothes that Jae Young picked one more time. If he didn’t come over there would be bigger problems. Eun Ji needed to stay collected.

“What’s going on?” Manager Kang voice echoed from the room. Eun Ji shook her head. She had to change before any other problems could come up.

“Sir Ms. Kim is having a very hard time with wardrobe. She won’t try on anything that doesn’t cover her up.” It wasn’t hard to see the lava churning in her eyes.

Kang looked back and forth between Jae Young and her. “Jae Young why are you here?”

That was a good question. He didn’t have to come over and help. But he had just moved on his own. “Because we can’t have people just touching and forcing Eun Ji to do things she’s never done before. We don’t have all day so just make a few compromises. I’m sure she’ll get more comfortable later on.” Everything just spit out of him. That was weird. Why was he saying and doing all of this?

“I agree.” Kang smiled at the stylist. “She’s never done anything like this before. It would be best to go with the flow for now.”

Jae Young could feel the heat steaming off the stylist. How satisfying.

“Is this good?” Eun Ji tip toed towards the group. The baggy sweater falling over her hands with the ruffled skirt spilling out from underneath. Jae Young checked a box off in his head. Color scheme, theme, and comfort were all achieved.

The stylist looked her up and down. “Thank you Mr. Park. This is workable.”

“Awesome! Let’s hurry up. The rest of the team is waiting.” Manager Kang clapped his hands together. The smile beaming down on everyone. Jae Young nodded heading back to his stylist. Eun Ji quietly followed hers to finish up.

* * *

Eun Ji was supposed to have solo shots. Kyu Won tried to help her with posing but in the end they scrapped the idea. Jae Young stood to her left. “Ok now something a little less static please.”

Less static? What did that mean? Eun Ji looked around the room to see if anyone would direct her. Coach Min was with the rest of the team and manager Kang was nowhere to be seen. Crew members just continued with their jobs.

Jae Young’s piercing sigh wiggled through her ears. “Eun Ji turn your back to me.” Shuffling around she faced her back to him. She could feel his back push up against hers. The warmth seeped into her back and pushed out from her fingers. “Lean against me now.”

“Like this?” Eun Ji pushed back against him. Feeling his body sink down with her weight coming down. Her eyes darted to try and take a peek. Jae Young’s knees were bent with his chest leaning down into his knees.

“Perfect!” In flash clicks went off from the photographer. Eun Ji wasn’t even sure what happened. Was her facial expression how they wanted? What was Jae Young doing? “Support literally supporting the adc! This is so good. Captures the image of Strawberry Milkshake.” What was the image supposed to be? “Oh Ms. Kim please relax your face.” How does someone relax their face? What was she doing before? Eun Ji looked over to see the photographer frowning.

“Eun Ji.” Jae Young’s voice crawled into her ear. “I’m going to lift you up.”

Lift her up? “Wait wha-”

Jae Young’s arms wrapped under hers. His legs pushed up and Eun Ji could see her legs in the air. It took everything to not let out another yelp. The last thing she wanted was for more eyes to land on them. “Thank you Mr. Park!” More snaps came from the camera. “Oh I know! Now you learn against Ms. Kim. Show off you two switching roles.”

“Uh…” Eun Ji knew Jae Young weighed a lot more than her. Comparatively to the entire house she was a feather. “I’m not sure if I can…”

“I won’t crush you.” Jae Young slowly bent down to place Eun Ji onto the ground. “Just remember to bend your knees and use your arms as support.”

“Ok…” Placing her hands on her knees. She braced herself for the next challenge. The weight came down her back slowly and stopped. This wasn’t any weight on her back. Jae Young really was only pressing against her. Eun Ji cocked her head to see he was flat footed and almost standing up right. “This isn’t really me pushing you up.”

Jae Young snorted through his nose. “You asked for it.” Suddenly he came crashing down. Like a bag of bricks was tossed onto her. The camera snapped. Eun Ji kept pushing up. She had to do good job.

“Aaand finished.”

The bag of bricks flew off her. She was still pushing up and the weight suddenly disappeared. Her feet stumbled back with the rest of her falling. Jae Young’s hand grabbed at her arm and picked her up. “I don’t even weigh that much.”

That was a lie. Eun Ji brushed herself off. Giving him a pout. “I’m the one who doesn’t weigh a lot.”

“True. But I’m under one fifty.” He gently pushed her onto her feet and let go.

“Then I’ll just work out more so I can pick you up next time.” The words flew out of her mouth. She had never said something like that to anyone before.

Jae Young blinked a few times before chuckling. His hand covering his mouth up. “We’ll see about that.”

“Eun Ji, Jae Young are you all finished up?” Manager Kang emerged towards them. “We’ll wrap up after our group shots.” Clapping his hands together he turned to go get the rest of the team.

The two stood together in silence. It all happened so fast. Eun Ji clutched her hands together. Something was crawling around in her chest. It felt so heavy. “Jae Young…”

“Hm?” She could feel his eyes falling onto her.

“Thank you…” Eun Ji wasn’t sure if he could hear her. The whole day was made bearable from his actions. Why was he doing all this?

“No problem.”

That was new. He responded.

Eun Ji took in a deep breath and held it in. She turned on her heel to look up at Jae Young. “L-Let’s make Strawberry Milkshake a really good team!”

He blinked at her. Nerves stood up on her skin. Why did she say that so suddenly? “Yeah.” His hand reached forward into a thumbs up. “Let’s do that.”

The two stared at each other. The silence was bubbling up between them. Why did she have to do all this?

“Ok SKT let’s finish this up and get dinner.” Coach Min’s voice came in to save them. The team scrambled back to the backdrop. The photographer placed them in different spots. Handing each of them a photo of their new symbols. A red strawberry landed into Eun Ji’s hands. The nerves fell from her fingertips into the piece of cardboard. Everything would be fine.

* * *

2071  Summer season would begin soon. One more rep and she would be finished with this set. Eun Ji ran through her schedule for the rest of the day. Dinner and then their weekly late night stream.

“Eun Ji are you done yet?” Jae Young’s voice called from the other end of the gym.

“Almost!”

“Good. Because I need to shower.”

Eun Ji put the dumb bells down. Finally finished. “Me too. And I need dinner.”

Jae Young walked over to her and tossed a pink band to her. “How’s the progress?”

“Good!” She faced him and flexed both arms. “Ha! Look! You can’t see my bones anymore!” That was enough to bring out a chuckle. His hand covering his mouth up. “I’ll be able to pick you up soon!”

“Are you really still making that your end goal?” Jae Young plopped out the ground and placed his foot into the band. “It’s been over a year.”

“I know and I still haven’t accomplished it.” She began to stretch the band across her chest. “The first goal was to become physically healthy. Now my goal is to pick you up.”

“Better work harder than. I weigh more than I used to.”

“I know but you’re going to plateau at some point.” Moving the stretch to behind her back.

Jae Young laid down and pulled the band to lift his leg. “I guess.” Eun Ji had half expected his response to be dry but it wasn’t. In fact it was almost playful.

“Ooo should we do some joust for the stream today?” Now Eun Ji was on the ground wrapping the band around her waist and to her foot. “I think today’s the last day we could before we have to practice conquest again.”

“Yeah why not. I kinda miss joust.” Jae Young took the band off his foot and stood up. As he stretched behind his back the muscles on his arm popped a little.

“Yay!” Eun Ji stretched the band. Making her face down and reach her foot. She could feel red creeping onto her face. What was this feeling that suddenly attacked her face?

“Are you done? I want dinner now.”

“Almost. Let me get the other side.” Slowly rising to wrap the band around her other foot. “Go first.”

She could hear Jae Young shuffling around to put the band away. “Ok but hurry up. We only have two hours before we’re supposed to start streaming.”

“Don’t worry!” She gave him a thumbs up and watched his feet leave the gym. Finally. Eun Ji looked into the mirror and pushed her fingers into her face. Were they red from stretching or from something else? There wasn’t time to explore that question. She wrapped up her stretches and skipped out to get to dinner.

* * *

Hana skipped out from the kitchen and into the living room. A can of Nano Cola and bags of different snacks accompanied her. “Dae Hyun hurry up! The stream is gonna start soon!”

“Are you sure this is ok?” Dae Hyun looked around the space before sitting on the couch.

“Yeah! It’s a Friday night and technically it’s still break.” Popping the laptop open she clicked to Twitch as quickly as possible.

“And you’re still a trainee not a pro player. This is totally against the rules.” He still sank into the couch and cracked open a Nano Cola.

“Shh! I’ll worry about that later!” Waving her hand into his face. “Pick one. Strawberry or Milk?”

“Aren’t they the same?” Dae Hyun huddled in with Hana to look at the screen.

“Technically yes but they have different layouts, different effects, different points of view, different-”

“Ok ok!” He was giggling through the can. “Let’s go with Strawberry. She’s cute.”

Hana clicked on Strawberry’s profile. “Ew she’s like way older than us.”

“I just said she was cute!” His elbow lightly jabbed her arm. Hana laughed as the stream loaded up.

The room was dimly lit as always. Strawberry’s hand adjusted the camera before it fell into focus. “Ok there we go.” She sat down and swiveled around a little. “Hello everyone! If you’re here because Milk hasn’t started yet don’t worry. He’s just late.”

“Rude.” Milk’s voice came up from the back. “I’m late because you forgot this.” A bowl was placed into her lap.

“Aw thank you Milk.” She rocked back and forth picking up the chips in the bowl and popping them into her mouth.

Hana let out a tiny squeal. “They are so adorable! The world’s best adc support duo on and off the stage.”

Dae Hyun groaned at her words. “You know it’s just their personas right? Strawberry is the cute fearless one while Milk is the harsh yet tender support.”

“Hmph!” Violently crossing her arms across her chest. “I know that parts of them are their personas but they work together so well. They can’t be faking the whole thing. Parts have got to be real.”

“Whatever you say Hana.” Dae Hyun reached over for a bag of chips and ripped it open.

Hana puffed her cheeks up. There were going to words for him. “Alright we can start now.” Milk’s voice cut through her thoughts. “We’re gonna play some joust before the summer season. Just something fun.”

The game loaded up. Strawberry and Milk continued to talk back and forth. Answering questions about picks, meta changes, and their own thoughts. Dae Hyun chomped down on his chips. “Hana do you watch streams of Jin Air players?”

“I totally do! Especially Taengoo!” Hana sank further into the couch.

“You don’t call her by her real name? You literally live in the same house as her.”

“I can’t do that!” Faking a shocked gasp. “I’m not a pro yet. That’s like an unspoken rule amongst pros and trainees.”

Dae Hyun chuckled at her words. “Ok I believe you.”

The game started and the two quieted down. Hana watching every movement Strawberry made. She was so calm and focused. Milk’s face wasn’t visible but the clicks from his keyboard and mouse were audible. Compared to Starwatch they had significantly less noise. On screen the enemy jumped in together and killed her. “Oh no.” Her voice was almost singing. “Milk switch.”

Without another word she slid her chair over and Milk came into the camera. Quickly they swapped headsets and returned to the game. Hana felt the air being sucked out of her. “Look at that clean team work.”

Dae Hyun nodded. “They got a lot better at switching. Remember the first game they had two years ago? That was so rough.”

Minutes passed. Milk and Strawberry stayed switched until the enemy titan fell. As the animation played the two returned to their proper PC. Strawberry eyes scanned through chat. A small smile graced her face. “Thank you everyone. We try not to switch when it’s not necessary but the transitions are smoother.”

“Oo that’s a fun question.” Milk’s voice came back up from the side. “So I was just asked what we’re like outside of streams.”

Strawberry put a finger under her chin. “Hmm… I’d say Milk is more quiet off stream. He even says that long streams make his voice hurt.”

“I could say the same thing for you. If any of you guys watch Honey Bee stream, you’ve seen her in real life. She is naturally that talkative.”

“I think she’s the only one who is. Baem is the quietest out of all of use. Mandu probably comes after Honey Bee.” Strawberry lightly clapped her hands together. “Ok next question.”

Hana could feel a frown falling on her face. “They totally didn’t answer the question.”

“Have you guys ever dated anyone?” A slight sting came across Strawberry’s face. “Well I personally never did. I was busy getting good at SMITE.”

Milk’s snort came in. “I signed on as a trainee at a really young age so I also never did.”

In a flash Hana’s hand flew across the keyboard. Smacking the enter key. Dae Hyun pulled the laptop back in between them. “What was that?”

“Imadiva asks,” Dae Hyun looked over at Hana, squinting at her. Hana only grinned back at him. “Are you two dating? You both have really good chemistry. Love you both!”

“Oh that’s an easy question to answer.” Strawberry turned to look at the off screen Milk. “Pros aren’t allowed to date due to contracts.”

“Yeah it wouldn’t be wise to break those rules. Plus Milk is too sour for me.” Her tongue stuck out a little at him.

“Phewy.” Hana huffed at the answer.

“I don’t know what you expected. You know those rules too.” Dae Hyun gestured an open bag of chips to her.

“I know but I was just curious.”

Another game loaded up on the screen. The two moved onto the next subject. Hana reached into the bag and took a few bites. In the end she knew they wouldn’t talk about their personal lives to everyone. One day she would be in that position. One day.

* * *

Eun Ji scrolled through different websites and forums. Why did that one random question from their stream become a discussion? Looking at all of this brought a hammer to her head.

“Unnie don’t worry all of this goes away after a couple of days.” Kyu Won rolled up to her PC taking a glance. “This isn’t that big of a deal.

“Why couldn’t this just not exist to start with?” Her head hit the table. Kyu Won was right. None of this really mattered. But it didn’t stop eating away at her.

“What’s going on?” Coach Min’s voice came into her other ear. “Oh…” She definitely took a glance at Eun Ji’s screen. “Eun Ji don’t look at these things. Everything passes over.” They were both right. There was no need to be focusing on this.

The unmistakable groan of Jae Young interrupted the knots forming in her head. “Can we just practice?”

“Yes we should start. Get your mind off of things.” Min knocked on the table. The rustling of everyone getting in their seats took over. Eun Ji took in a deep breath. Gently tapping her face to get focused. It would be over in a few days.

* * *

It had been days and people were still speculating and reviewing the possibility of them dating. Eun Ji looked out the car window to watch other cars pass by. Every turn she took to ignore it another knot was made in her head.

A hand gently landed on her leg. Looking down she could see it shaking. It’s been a while since she was like this. “Eun Ji.” Jae Young pushed down on her leg. “The whole car is shaking.”

“I’m sorry…” Turning her head to avoid anymore words. It was eating her from the inside out. Crawling all over her body. Today wasn’t looking good.

* * *

“SKT loses game two.” There was a wave of disappointment over the crowd. “SKT’s co-ed team brings home their first loss since the 2071 season started.”

The booth was quiet. Eun Ji slowly took her headset off. This was all her fault. The team relied on her and she let them down. There’s no map awareness. No build awareness. Everything was a muffled sound in her ears. Words from strangers ripped her to pieces. Min Woo stood up and everyone else followed. Why did she let this take her apart?

* * *

The room was silent. Jae Young sat forward on the couch. Their first loss. It had been a while since he experienced this. Everyone had the same thoughts. They all wanted to know what they could have done to be better. None of that mattered when their adc couldn’t focus.

Coach Min burst through the door. Her face red and hair pulled back. “Where’s Eun Ji?”

“What?” The four voices in the room perked up.

“She’s not in here right?” Min scanned the room to answer herself. “All five of you got off stage together right?”

“Yeah we did everything we usually do.” Min Woo was the brave soul to respond.

“Then why has no one seen Eun Ji?”

The four looked at each other. Kyu Won cleared her throat. “She told me she was going to the bathroom.”

“She’s not there!” Min snapped back. Her knuckles were white from gripping her phone. “No one has seen her since you got off stage. Stage managers and crew say they saw her go into the changing room and that’s it. She left her jacket and jersey behind and changed into something else because I found this!” The jacket and jersey were tossed onto the couch. “Her phone is also turned off!”

Jae Young felt his gut boil. Was Eun Ji an idiot? She just left the team because of one bad game.

“Can someone tell me what happened to her.” Min wasn’t going to wait.

Se Bin raised his hand. “Wasn’t noona really worked up about the dating thing? She’s been worried about it for days now but hasn’t talked about why she is.”

Lava was churning. She was upset over nothing.

Min took in a deep breath. Her hand running through her hair. “Sang Wook said he would help us since they’re close but he won’t be able to until all games are over today.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Jae Young’s lips ripped apart. “She’ll be back in the house later tonight.”

His hotheaded response was the wrong choice. Min took three steps to be in front of him. “Park Jae Young.” Steam seathed out of her mouth. “She is your teammate. Your partner. If you don’t take this seriously there will be consequences from me and manager Kang. Understood?”

There was nothing he could do or say to soothe her. “Yes ma’am…”

“Good. Now all four of you better be working with me to find her.” Min stormed out of the room dialing a number on her phone.

Kyu Won’s groan filled the room. “Oppa do you have to be an ass all the time?”

“Seriously hyung.” Min Woo’s voice contrasted the piercing dagger. “We get it you don’t actually like her but it’s been more than two years. At least pretend to care about her.”

They were all wrong. That wasn’t it. Jae Young gripped at his pants. None of them said the right thing. “Yeah yeah.” Slowly he rose from the couch. “Whatever.” Jae Young hustled out the room. He had to catch Sang Wook before the next game.

Stage crew whispered to each other. It didn’t take much for people to try and track down a lost pro player. Jae Young’s strides grew longer and longer. Sang Wook was probably in his room. The door came up to his face. Knocking twice and waiting for a response.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me Jae Young.”

Silence. Great.

The door crept open. Sang Wook popped out and stood before him. His arms crossed over each other. “What is it?”

His cheery voice had died. His eyes pierced through and looked into his mind. “Can you tell me some places Eun Ji would be at when she gets upset?”

Sang Wook smacked his lips together. “You know. For someone who’s had to live and work with Eun Ji, you still don’t seem to know a damn thing about her.”

That wasn’t it. No one was saying the right thing. There wasn’t any time to fight him. “Can you just help me?”

“Here.” He took out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. “These are places I can usually find Eun Ji at when she has an attack.” Jae Young’s phone buzzed. Taking a peek he could see the list of places. “I’m only helping you because I care about Eun Ji. But you’re the wrong person to be helping her.”

Jae Young bit his teeth together. He had to hold it all back. “Thank you hyung.”

Sang Wook nodded and shut the door in front of him. Why did no one say the right thing?

* * *

Sunset arrived. Orange pushed the blue out. Rays from the sun kissed against his face. The city was so big and every location was so far apart from each other. Red began to stretch out and grab the orange. At this rate the sun would be gone before he got reach the end of the list. Jae Young reviewed it once more. Mapo bridge was at the very end. Something twisted his stomach up. There were five more locations before Mapo. That was going to take too long if she were to end up on Mapo. Taking another look at the subway map to see the next transfer stop. He was on the other side of the city. It would take another thirty minutes to change his route for Mapo. It was something that had to be done.

* * *

The night ate the sun. It wasn’t a black night. Lights contaminated the sky. Jae Young hopped off the subway. How typical. Skipping down the stairs, weaving in and out of people, and bursting out of the subway’s mouth. Mapo bridge was within reach.

Not many people were out. Benches sat vacant with lights illuminating on no one. If she wasn’t here the whole day was wasted on making a bet. Jae Young turned his head around to look at both sides of the bridge. Nothing.

Great a day wasted on trying to find her. Almost halfway on the bridge. Something moved. Squinting to get a better look a small figure was leaning against the railing. Jae Young felt his heart beat speed up. The figure leaned farther down. “Hey!” His feet took off without another thought. “Wait!” Stretching out his arm to reach them as soon as possible. Getting a grasp on their arm, he pulled them back from the railing. “You can’t just jump off th-” The person pulled their hood back. Eun Ji’s face was bright red. Dry tear streaks covered her cheeks. “Eun Ji what the hell?!”

“What?” Soju reeked from her hoodie. Her feet stumbled back and forth. A total mess.

“What do you mean what?” Jae Young grabbed her shoulders to keep her still. “You left after the game and I spent the entire day trying to find you. Only to see you trying to jump off Mapo bridge and so drunk you can’t stand up!”

“I-” Quickly rubbing her eyes she jumped from a small hiccup. “I wasn’t trying to jump off. If you learn far enough it scares you back to reality.”

The boiling from earlier began to steam. “Are you insane?! What if you actually fell in?!”

“So what? Not like you actually care about me.”

“What?” Drunk Eun Ji was bold.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know you hate me. So why do you suddenly care if I just disappeared?” Jae Young’s mouth gaped open. Everything was spewing out so fast. “Don’t answer that because in the end it doesn’t matter. You just see me as some helpless, fragile, luggage that you carry around out of pity.”

That wasn’t right. None of that was right. “Eun Ji that’s-”

“Stupid. It’s stupid to think that way. It’s stupid to be thinking that way.” That was enough to shut his lips. “You think I haven’t heard this a million times before?” Her voice croaked as she yelled at him. Fat tears welled up in her eyes. “Do you think I just woke up one day and decided to be such a piece of shit?!” The tears spilled out of her eyes rolling down her cheeks. “Come back once you’ve spent years of people telling you you’re worthless and should just kill yourself. Then get signed onto a team because the only person who cares about you wanted you to live a better life and your partner is just some asshole who does things not out of genuine kindness but because he doesn’t want to be seen a certain way anymore!” The screaming ripped at her throat. Eun Ji began to cough into her sleeve.

Jae Young winced at her coughing. “Eun Ji… that’s not… that’s not why… I just…” Sang Wook’s word flashed across his mind. “I just… never took the time to understand you.” The coughing slowed down. Tears still fell onto the ground, splattering everywhere. “I never took the time to get to know you. I just thought you were some weirdo who couldn’t do better. I…” His head had fallen to the ground. There was no better way to say anything. Lifting his head to see her looking straight into him. Through his mind and into his heart. “I assumed the worst of you. You let things get to you when they’re meaningless. You don’t like it when people touch you. You say really weird things and behave strangely. So I just kept things on the surface.” She was still looking straight at him. Slowly blinking once to release more tears. “I’m sorry. You’re the best partner I’ve ever had and I didn’t want to admit that. I should be a better support.”

Silence bubbled up between them. Eun Ji kept staring right back at him. Slowly her eyes began to blink more with tears slowly taking form.

“I’m sorry…”

Jae Young scrunched his eyebrows together. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because… I don’t understand you either. And I’m too afraid to learn about you.” Her eyes finally peeled away as she wiped more tears away. “You’re the reason I can even be a pro. I wasn’t able to play with anyone else in SKT and I thought my career would be over before it even started. But… but when I first met you it just made me so afraid. So I could never-”

“No that’s my fault!” Jae Young squeezed her shoulders and gently shook her. “That’s my fault! I am an asshole. I’m an awful person and I know I am.”

“But I should have just reached out to you!”

“No you had a reason not to.”

“But-”

“Stop apologizing for me!” His grip was iron tight now. “Please,” His voice cracked. His eyes began to water. “Stop apologizing for me.” Blinking made the water roll down.

Eun Ji blinked a few times. Her lips shut tight. Eyes large as a deer. Eyebrows furrowed up. “Ow…” Wiggling a little bit from his grip.

Jae Young looked at his knuckles. They were white. His hands flew off from her shoulders and Eun Ji stumbled to the side. “I’m sorry…”

“Me too…” Her face fell into his chest. “Jae Young…”

The soju was strong. Jae Young put his arms under her armpits and lifted her up. “Yeah?”

“I… I can’t go back to the house like this…” Despite keeping her up she had fallen back into him.

“Yeah you really can’t…” Their voices had quieted down. Waves under the bridge lapsed into his ears.

“Jae Young…” Eun Ji reached her hands out and pushed herself up from his chest. “Let’s become the best adc support duo. On and off stage.”

The words made him chuckle. It was a good goal. “When do you want to switch?”

“Mm… Right now. I can buy you ice cream.”

“Eun Ji please.” She began giggling. That was good. “How about we switch once you’re ok?”

“Fine.” Her face falling back into his chest one more time.

Cars kept zipping by. Their lights casting their shadow everytime they passed. Eun Ji’s feet shuffled closer to his and touched them. Her arms wrapped around his waist. Face still planted into his chest. As best as she could, she gave him a squeeze. Jae Young smiled and squeezed back. “Come on. Let’s get water.” Eun Ji nodded slowly standing up right. Jae Young grabbed her hand and lead the way.


	9. Add Sugar and Shake

“SKT wins their first SMITE world championship title!” Cheers took over the stadium. “The team that started co-ed teams is taking home the 2072 victory!”

“Everyone thought with co-ed teams joining tournaments they would take the win due to the fact they were the very first co-ed team ever made. But there were a few bumps in the road.” Announcers voices bounced back and forth. Cameras panned around showing off the confetti, the crowd, and the stage.

“Glad to see they were able to take the victory this year.” All five teammates waved out to the screaming voices.

A trophy rose from to the stage. The five walked towards it. “Their synergy was really shown off today. Their hard work has paid off.”

“After five years of constant practice you can see how far they have come. Especially the adc support duo Strawberry Milkshake.”

“Their playstyles change drastically with their god picks and during fights in the game. Not a single team has been able to predict when they would switch and how they would play. Making it difficult for anyone to pin them down.”

“Purposely picking gods that didn’t match their role just to throw their opponents off is a genius move! I expect nothing else from the world’s greatest esports team and being coached by an old legend in esports.”

Confetti exploded from multiple cannons. Obscuring cameras as they panned around capturing the team’s reactions. Kyu Won began gathering confetti from the ground and threw it back at the team’s face. The four began to retaliate breaking out a huge fight on stage. Fans began to throw confetti back at them. The stage was zooming out, circling up and around as they picked up confetti and chucked it around the trophy. Their giggles drowned from the music and screams.

* * *

The calendar slapped them across the face. Min pulled up their schedule until break. The room had never been quieter. “Any questions?”

“Yeah I have a lot actually.” It was always Kyu Won first. “How are we going to do all of that in less than a month?”

Min Woo scratched his head. “We basically have some kind of photoshoot every other day and a public appearance on TV in between those days.”

“Don’t forget the other things we normally do. Holidays are coming up.” Se Bin’s low grumble came through from the ground.

Min sighed at their optimism. “This is actually only a fourth of what was offered to us. Manager Kang and I spent a week sifting through schedules and picking which promotions were worth our time.”

“Only a fourth?!” Hearing Eun Ji’s voice jump up made her jump. The couch pillows were gobbling her up.

“We’re going to start off slow. Tomorrow is just a normal team shoot. To create promotional images of the team as champions. It will be in our team uniforms.” A breeze of relief came over them. Quickly bringing the heat back onto their backs. “Do you want to brainstorm some ideas for tomorrow?”

The five blinked at each other. Min Woo slowly raised his hand. “Does the trophy come with us tomorrow?”

“Yes it does.”

“Ok that’s all I cared about.” Plopping back into his seat. The cushions jumbled around.

Kyu Won’s hand shot up and waved around. “Can we do some really cute and funny pictures of us playing our roles in real life?”

“Oh my god noona so cliche.” Se Bin rolled his eyes.

“Ok do you have a better idea?”

“Nope.”

It hadn’t been more than two minutes. They were already dissolving away. “We can make it up as we go. There can’t possibly be any objection to that.”

Looks were exchanged. That solution always worked.

“As long as I get to pick up Jae Young.” Eun Ji’s voice cut through the silence. So mellow and calm. Ten eyes landed onto her. Her face sat still in the silence.

Jae Young snorted. His hand went up to his nose. Lips were pulled back in a grin. A few giggles slipped through the seams before the burst through in an explosion. Jae Young was laughing. His hands grabbing at his sides with teeth showing through his smile. The couch bounced up as he fell into the cushions.

Eun Ji jumped from his weight. “What?!” She turned to him pouting. “I’m serious!”

Through the laughter Jae Young gasped for air. An arm reached out towards Eun Ji and pushed her back into the couch. “Yeah sure. If you pick me up I will buy you dinner.” Each word almost spit out between gasps.

“All you can eat barbeque.”

“Deal.” Jae Young rubbed his eyes. Finally calming down with hiccups as he took in air. The two shook hands at their new deal. Min scanned the room to see Min Woo’s eyes wider than plates. Kyu Won had scrunched her face up in shock while Se Bin looked away.

“Ok then. Tomorrow we will see what happens. Go take the rest of the day off.” Min waved the five away. There was no way they were going to continue sitting listening to her. They quickly scurried off in their own directions.

* * *

Bright red jackets were shining through. They were always the last to shoot. Jae Young stepped onto the X on the ground. Eun Ji right next to him. The photographer snapped away for tests shots. “Ok we will do some basic shots and then the ones that people talking on the internet.” That was one way to describe it. Another word wasn’t needed. The two shifted into different poses and positions after rounds of snaps. “Ok what’s the first unconventional pose you want to do?”

Eun Ji waved her hand up. “I’m going to pick up Jae Young.”

The cameraman squinted at her. Jae Young sighed while shaking his head. “Eun Ji please there is no way you’re going to pi-”

In one clean motion Eun Ji squat down placing her arms under his knees and back, springing up to hold him up bridal style. Jae Young’s heart jumped out of his chest. She really picked him up. His face began to heat up. What was he supposed to do with his arms? His eyes lined up with Eun Ji’s. Staring back at him with sparkles. A big stupid grin grew on her face. Jae Young could feel the blood rush into his cheeks. The camera furiously snapped away. “This is very cute!”

As soon as the round of snaps stopped, Eun Ji gently put Jae Young back onto his feet. “So where are you gonna take me for dinner?”

There wasn’t a single thought in his mind. The fact she actually picked him up had stunned everything. He hadn’t even thought of a place to take her for dinner. Jae Young brushed the wrinkles out of his jacket. “Why just dinner? Make it a whole date.” That wasn’t supposed to come out.

It was her turn to laugh. “A date? Sure why not.” Waving her hands in front as if to shoo the thought away. Her eyes turned up into crescent moons as she smiled. Why was she so… cute?

“Ok we have enough of you two. Let’s get the whole team here.” The photographer called out for coach Min. The two stepped off the backdrop and watched as their team entered the light. “Ok let’s hurry up I’m hungry.” The five scrambled together to finish as quickly as possible.

* * *

Eun Ji laid around in bed. Break finally began and nothing would satisfy her more than to do nothing in the empty house. Everyone went somewhere as usual. Only a few stayed behind but at this point manager Kang had assigned her to be the guardian of the house. There was only one other person who could also claim that title.

Knocking came down on her door. “Eun Ji.” Speak of coincidences.

“Whaaaaat?” She didn’t want to get up. She only had one day of doing nothing. She needed more.

“Don’t whine. Remember how I said I would buy you dinner if you picked me up?” Jae Young fixed the collar on his jacket. It still smelled too new.

Eun Ji tapped at her phone seeing the time read eleven o’clock. Her eyebrows scrunched up together. “It’s only eleven!” There was no reason to get up now for dinner.

Jae Young took in a deep breath. Blood was rushing all over his body. “You agreed to make it a date. Remember?”

A date? His words flashed across her mind. “You were being serious?” Eun Ji tumbled out of bed and crawled to the door. Clutching at her chest to stop her heart from ripping out of her chest.

“I can’t believe you doubted me. After I doubted you and your ability to pick me up.” Jae Young could see her shadow hopping around the room. How… cute.

Eun Ji couldn’t think of anything to say. He always beat her with words. She scurried along the floor to pick up blankets and clothes that sprawled around. The silence between them was filled with her thoughts. Was this a real date? Was she supposed to dress nicely? Was he just joking and they were just going to hang out?

“Eun Ji I’ll give you thirty minutes.” Jae Young didn’t wait for a response. His head felt dizzy. A chair is all he needed right now. Quickly he shuffled down to the living room.

Eun Ji watched as his shadow moved from the doorway. Crawling to the closet she ripped it open. Kyu Won had a lot of cute clothes. She had gone back home and left behind a few clothes. Maybe if she made some kind of combination a decent look could be made. Thirty minutes was enough time to get ready right?

* * *

It was longer than thirty minutes but it didn’t matter. She had mashed together an appealing outfit and threw on some makeup. Jae Young seemed unbothered by the fact it took longer. Subways were clear compared to most days. The two hopped on as the doors closed behind them. Seats were taken up as usual. A man got up from his seat and waited by the door for the next stop. Jae Young gently pulled Eun Ji towards the seat. “Sit.” He stood in front of her and tapped her shoulder to sit her down into the seat. The subway began it’s smooth journey down the tracks.

“No you sit.” The world must have been listening. The subway jerked and Eun Ji fell face first into Jae Young’s chest. “Ow…”

“Oh my god.” Jae Young pushed her up. He was already committed to standing. His hand gripped at the ring.

Eun Ji looked up at his soft smile. The corners of his lips were barely lifted up but it was enough to see a smile through it. “Fine…” Grumbling as she took a seat.

The smile turned into a smirk. Jae Young leaned into the arm that held onto the ring. His body leaning down towards her. Blood tingled against her cheeks. The lighting wasn’t good enough to see the pink rising on her face. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

Pink ran away as she scrunched her face up. “I’ll make you switch with me if you keep looking down on me.” She poked at his stomach making him jerk up. A small giggle came out of his nose.

The subway came to a slow halt and bodies moved in and out. People changing places with each other. Jae Young looked up at the map and turned back. “Five more stops.”

Doors slid shut with the silent hum of the subway moving again. “Where are we even going?” Eun Ji watched the windows as the subway passed the dark tunnels.

Jae Young smiled and leaned in again. “I told you. We’re going on a date.”

That was the most helpful thing he has ever said. But Eun Ji couldn’t stop her heart from running away.

* * *

He had really planned a date. Straight from some drama. Lunch at some photo worthy cafe followed by a walk around popular youth centric areas with lots of shops and street performers. Eun Ji was afraid he would take her to an amusement park to take things up a notch. Instead he took her around areas filled with holiday light set ups. People even offered to take pictures of them. There was no way any of this was supposed to be serious. Every photo of was the two doing something goofy that no regular couple would do. Eun Ji had traveled the entire city in one afternoon.

They had gotten off at Gwangnaru station and have been walking for a few minutes now. “Jae Young where are we going?” The sun was gone for hours with winds blowing into their faces. Only part of her body was warm and that was her right hand.

“Dinner. You said you wanted barbeque.” Jae Young’s hand squeezed hers as he continued walking down the street. Like he was holding onto her so she wouldn’t be blown away from the wind.

“I said all you can eat.”

Jae Young chuckled into his scarf. “I can’t afford that.”

“Oh please. We get paid way too much. Plus there are so many restaurants that have all you can eat barbeque.” Eun Ji couldn’t possibly imagine why he said he couldn’t afford something so simple. People threw money at them every week.

“Well this restaurant doesn’t offer that. Even if they did it would empty out my account.”

“Where are we possibly going that is that expensive?”

Jae Young stopped walking and Eun Ji crashed into him. He turned to face the looming archway that stood in front of them. Looking up at the sign her eyes popped out from her face.

Myongwolgwan.

“Jae Young!” Eun Ji’s voice cracked through the screech. “Are you crazy?! You can’t afford this!” She began to shake his body with her right hand.

“You just said I could afford it!” Jae Young’s voice bounced as he shook.

“I said you could afford any old regular restaurant with all you can eat barbeque. Not a five star restaurant that serves Hanwoo beef!”

“Well no going back now.” The cheeky smirk came across his face again. “I made a reservation right after that shoot.” He right hand came up to his face and made a V.

“You what?!” Nothing else could be said. Jae Young’s grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her towards the doors. There was no going back for real.

* * *

The restaurant was empty. Not just empty with only a few people. It was completely gutted out. They had been brought over to their table and given drinks. A single waiter stood around at the back of the room. It was all so quiet.

Eun Ji tapped her finger next to Jae Young’s hand. His head resting in his hand was turned towards the large window. The gentle tapping moved his eyes over to hers. “You did something didn’t you.”

The corners of his lips curled up into a smirk. His thin eyes beading together to look into her mind. “What makes you think that?”

“There is literally no one else hear. And it’s definitely dinner time.” Eun Ji squinted back at him. “Plus no one has come to serve us.”

His fingers tapped against his cheek. The smirk turning into something softer. “I made a deal with a lot of different people. Did you know saying that you’re Milk from SKT’s co-ed SMITE team makes you an immediate priority?” For the first time Jae Young’s eyes curled up into crescent moons. “They told me to come on a weekday before the dinner rush and we get the whole restaurant to ourselves.”

“Jae Young!” Eun Ji hissed at him. Even though no one else but a single waiter was in the room she kept her voice hushed. “Now they think this is some kind of real date!”

“That’s because it is.” The tapping against his cheek didn’t stop. The smile on his face wouldn’t go away. Eun Ji was going to melt into the floor. This wasn’t supposed to be real in any way. She just wanted to prove she could pick him up. Her head gently fell onto the table hoping the red from her face would bleed away. “Anyways,” Eun Ji could feel his hand falling on top of hers. “I think you would be more embarrassed if there were people here.”

There was no way to tell him he was wrong because he wasn’t. Eun Ji grumbled into the table. Peeking her head up to see his smiling face through strands of hair. “You know me too well…” Sending out a puff of air to flip her hair up.

Jae Young suddenly covered his mouth with both hands. Gasping dramatically at her words. “Gee I’d hope so after living with you for almost four years.”

Eun Ji laughed into the table. Slowly lifting her head back up to sit up straight. It didn’t feel like four years. Everything was blurring together. “You’ve only started liking me for about a year. So I apologize if I forgot how considerate you can be.” With those words she stuck her tongue out. Only enough for it to be visible to him.

“Rude it’s been a year and a half since I began to like you.”

“Right can’t forget half the year you spent trying to like me.” A smile sat on her face as she re-adjusted her setting. The silverware was pushed around from laying on the table. Looking back up Jae Young had his chin resting in his hand again. Slowly blinking at her.

Footsteps approached the table. A large tray descended from the waiters as they swiftly filled the table with banchans. Wine flowed into glasses as the waiters trickled out of the way. Jae Young picked up his glass and swirled it around. “Cheers.” Lifting it towards the center of the table. Eun Ji glanced at the glass before picking it up. “To us winning and you picking me up after three years.”

A small giggle escaped her. “Cheers.” The two glasses clinked together. Turning their heads to the side, they took a sip of their wine. Eun Ji could feel her chest warming up. Everything was going just fine.

* * *

The black sky drowned from the lights. Twinkles only existed from sparks of lights around the city. Winds from winter swept over the bridge. Cars zipped by one at a time. Everything was fuzzy. Eun Ji leaned into Jae Young’s arm. She had wrapped hers into his and hadn’t let go. Whatever the wine was, it was enough for her. They had gone on the purple line all the way over to Mapo bridge. She could feel herself giggling at the things he was saying. “No way! There’s no way that could happen.”

“It really did!” She could feel him laughing alongside her. “Soo Jin started cutting her hair really short so she put makeup on Sung Jin and they switched places. Not a single teacher realized that they had. Only a handful of students knew that they had switched spots.”

“How long did that last?”

“A week before they accidently signed their papers incorrectly. They were in so much trouble afterwards.”

“They sound fun. Can I meet them?”

Jae Young’s feet stopped moving. Eun Ji could feel her arm pulling her back two steps. “Yeah maybe in a a few weeks.”

“A few weeks?” Nothing could come to mind as to why in a few weeks she could meet his friends.

“Yeah.” His arm wiggled free from hers. It was cold. “They invited me over to their apartment in a few weeks.”

“Hmm…” Eun Ji rocked back and forth. “Wouldn’t it be weird if I just showed up to their apartment? How would you even introduce me?” Clearing her throat she tried her best whack at imitating Jae Young. “This is my teammate Strawberry. You already know her because we’re on T.V and on the internet.”

“Well…” Jae Young took a few steps forward as he rocked back and forth. “I could do that. But I was hoping to give you a different introduction.”

“What?” It was hard to tell what was going on. Eun Ji watched as his back distanced from her. “How else would you introduce me?”

A sharp wind cut between them. Howling as it flew up into the air. Lights from cars casted shadows as they sped past. Jae Young took in a deep breath. His shoulders scrunching up from the breath. “I…” Suddenly he whipped around to face Eun Ji. Shoulders squared with his feet standing under them. “I like you Eun Ji.”

Words flew out so fast she couldn’t catch them. “What?”

“I like you.”

Eun Ji blinked for a few seconds. Of course he liked her. If he didn’t they wouldn’t be friends. “I know you like me.” Her head slowly cocked to the side. The look on his face wasn’t adding up.

“No. I don’t like you as a friend. I like you as more than a friend.”

Something was different. His eyebrows furrowed together as his eyes shot into hers. “Wait…” Eun Ji could feel her heart racing.

“I know it doesn’t make sense. I’ve only been getting along with you for about a year. The other two were just spent being bitter towards you.” Jae Young’s hands were stuffed into his coat pockets. Pushing down on his coat and pulling him down. “But this last year I got to know you past everything you hold on your back. There are a lot of things I still don’t fully understand and at times I catch myself thinking negatively.” His eyes began to blink furiously as they lost grasp on her eyes. “The more time I spend with you the more I want to keep staying by your side. I used to hold onto your hand to help you calm down but now I do hold onto your hand because it feels nice.”

Eun Ji felt her heart leap into her throat. She couldn’t breathe.

“I sat next to you and hung out with you because I was afraid of repeating all the mistakes I made before. I could have stopped doing that once I got to know our housemates but I couldn’t stop walking over and sitting down as close to you as possible.”

Words pushed against her heart. They couldn’t escape. Eun Ji wanted him to stop.

“You have a weird way of looking at the world but… It’s interesting and different. So I don’t mind listening to you talk when you ramble on about something really odd.” Tears filled her eyes. Everything was seeping out.

“You… You’re really cute and sweet… Like strawberries…” Jae Young slowly lifted his head back up. Everything was blurry. “Eun Ji. I want to be your support. In game and in real life.”

Fat tears dripped down her chin. Her hands reached up and began to push them away. The more she cleaned up the mess the more the tears spilled out. Air rushed into her throat as she opened her mouth. It took everything in her gut to suck the air in. “Jae Young…” Her voice cracked as the words crawled out from her lodged heart. “You… You’re…” Gasps of air cut each word off. “You’re so cheesy.” All the air that was stuck burst out. Eun Ji’s shoulders shook as the sobbing opened up her lungs. The wind kicked her back. It was cold.

Jae Young stepped towards her. Quietly chuckling under his breath. Eun Ji could feel her guts reaching for the warmth that approached her. “No I’m just sour milk.”

“No you…” Each new breath shaking her lungs as the words quivered. “You’re… You’re…” Another dam broke out and flooded her eyes. “You’re delightfully bitter.”

Laughter danced into her ears. His hands grasped the shoulders of her coat and pulled her in with his arms wrapping around her body. Eun Ji’s pushed herself into his chest. Tears soaked into his jacket leaving behind spots. “That doesn’t really give me an answer.” Jae Young’s fingers combed through her hair. Shivers crawled down her spine with each touch.

Eun Ji lift her hand up having it lightly smack his shoulder. The soft thwack was the only thing she could hear. Cars passing by only hummed as the noise pushed against the bubble. “Shut up…” More laughter fluttered into her ears filling her up. Eun Ji wrapped her arms around his waist. Everything fit together. Dams closed up leaving air to fill up the empty reservoirs. She could feel her arms gripping tighter around Jae Young. The beating against her chest slowed down. Her heart falling back into place. Lights enveloped them replacing the stars.

“Hey Eun Ji.” Jae Young pulled back to look at her face. A small smile graced him. “I’m cold.” Eun Ji sniffed a few times as she blinked. Giggles hopped out from her mouth. Jae Young’s arms fell down and reached for her hands. “Let’s go back to the house.” He squeezed her hands and began walking off the bridge. Eun Ji skipped forward to grab his arm again. Wrapping herself around and leaning into him. She needed to lay down.

* * *

The phone danced on the table as it buzzed. Jae Young picked it up to see coach Min’s name pop onto the screen.

“Can you two stream sometime this week? We need to keep interaction up and I know you and Eun Ji are still at the house. I know it’s break but other teammates are streaming from home or in groups at PC bangs. Helps with extra revenue for you during the holidays as well. Stay warm!”

Jae Young frowned at the text. Quickly sliding his phone open to respond back. “Hello coach Min. Hope your break is relaxing. I can try streaming tonight or tomorrow. I haven’t seen Eun Ji in a few days. I think she went out.” Jae Young tapped a finger on his chin. There wasn’t anyone she would go out to see except for Sang Wook. His thumb pressed send as he floated in his thoughts. It had been two days since he watched her cry an entire waterfall. That day seemed to have gone well but he could be wrong.

A ding jumped from his phone. “I just texted her. She says she can do a stream tonight. I told her to start around sixteen o’clock. An early start is good since school’s are on break. My break is going well. Hope yours is too ^^”

Sixteen o’clock was in a few hours. Jae Young scrunched his face up. “Thank you coach Min! See you in a month.”

Jae Young put his phone down and turned his gaze back to the T.V. Where could Eun Ji have gone?

* * *

Jae Young clicked around the screen. The clock read sixteen thirty. Eun Ji was late. Chat kept popping asking where she was. “I don’t know. She’s usually on time. She might be coming back from an errand. It’s pretty busy right now.” His eyes scanned the messages trying to pick out something that wasn’t related to Eun Ji. “Oh my break is going well thanks for asking. I haven’t really done anything just a lot of relaxing. I think I’m supposed to have dinner with family but they haven’t given me a day.” Making up stories was so easy. They believed whatever he said.

Footsteps pounding down the hallway grew as the door burst open. “I’m sorry!” Jae Young turned to see Eun Ji shut the door closed with her foot. Two bags filled her arms as she stumbled into her chair. “I wanted to grab snacks since the house supplies are empty.” Bags of chips fell into his lap. “I grabbed your favorite!” A yellow bag of chips began dancing in front of his camera.

“Strawberry.” Jae Young chuckled as he pushed the bag away from the camera. “That’s your favorite snack.”

Eun Ji placed the bag of chips in between them. Her eyes jumped seeing that her PC was already on. She quickly slipped the headset on and started up her stream. “That means more for me!” Her voice chipper as her setup loaded. As everything popped up Eun Ji reached down and tossed a pink bag over to him. “Don’t worry I got something you like.”

The sweet potato chips landed in his lap. “Oh something that’s actually my favorite.” Ripping the bag open he popped one of the chips into his mouth. Her screen loaded and the stream was up. “Ok Strawberry’s stream is up which means all the people who came to my stream waiting for her can go to her stream now.”

“Noooo!” Eun Ji’s voice sang into the mic. “Don’t make his numbers drop. Or else they’ll have him stop streaming and we have to share one stream.” The usual banter was being kept up. Nothing seemed out of place.

“Oh I see my numbers falling already.” Jae Young turned back to face the screen. “Let’s just get started. We all waited so long for you.”

Eun Ji stuck her tongue out. “Start a queue. I almost forgot something.” Her head ducked down and reached for the bags. A small can was tossed over to him. “I brought Nano Cola and strawberry milk!”

Jae Young laughed as he cracked the can open. “Are we allowed to have Nano Cola on stream? Do they sponsor us?”

“We’ll just get an angry call later from out coach and manager about how a different company is our sponsor.” The game queue popped up and both clicked ready. “Alright it’s been a while let’s see if the infamous Strawberry Milk duo can shake things up.”

Jae Young rolled his eyes. “Ugh you’re so cheesy.” Nothing seemed wrong. The game started up with gods being locked in. Their banter was typical and her actions were bubbly. Why was his gut scrunching up?

* * *

“I don’t know about you but I’m getting hungry.” The clock read twenty o’clock. “How much longer do you want to stream?”

“Mmm…” Eun Ji faked thinking about the decision. “Let’s put it up to a vote.” Her fingers pressed a few buttons and a poll popped up into her stream. Jae Young followed suit quickly going back to the game. Every game and god they played was determined by the stream. They had so many polls that they overlapped each other.

Votes kept pouring in. Jae Young took a peek over Eun Ji’s screen. A snort escaped his nose. “All of you are awful. Is it some planned conspiracy to give us totally different votes?” The end stream option was winning by an overwhelming amount on his side.

“That’s because they want to see sweet Strawberry more.” The votes pushed to stream more on her side.

The Titan began to fall and the victory screen faded onto the screen. “Ok well we’re going to have to decide somehow.”

“Rock paper scissors!” Eun Ji spun to face him putting her fist out to him. The empty space in between cameras hid what their results would be. Jae Young half rolled his eyes as he turned to play the game.

“Rock, paper, scissors.” They shook their hands up and down before shooting out a symbol. Eun Ji landed on paper with Jae Young on scissors.

Jae Young turned back to his camera shaking his head. “I guess we’ll have to keep streaming.” He clicked around to minimize the game and open up his pause screen. “After we eat. I might fall over on stream if I don’t.”

“Vote if you want to see Milk fall over on stream.” Eun Ji’s giggled took over his headset. Bringing up her pause screen as well. Chat began spamming informal votes for Jae Young to faint on stream.

“I’m being bullied by my own fans!” Jae Young muted his mic to put the stream on pause and put on some background music.

Taking off his headset he slid over to Eun Ji’s PC and scooted up into the camera. Eun Ji kept giggling as she pulled her background music. “Ok we’ll be back.” The stream paused as they waved a temporary goodbye. “Phew…” Jae Young’s eyebrows scrunched up watching her as she pushed her chair back to roll towards the door. “I’m just going to have something light. I’m not too hungry.” Before he had a chance to respond she bolted out of the chair to shuffle out the room.

“Ya…” Jae Young followed so quickly that the chair bounced. He yanked himself out the door  to see Eun Ji already down the hall. “Kim Eun Ji.” The empty halls bounced his voice around like a soccer ball. Eun Ji froze in place. Her shoulders could touch her ears. Jae Young’s feet pattered down the hall as he approached her.

Eun Ji slowly turned around. Already fidgeting with her hands at the bottom of her shirt. “Hm?” Her eyes blinked at random speeds. She was already going down her own rabbit hole.

Jae Young stopped several steps in front of her. Leaning his body against the wall as his head rested with his shoulder. “Are you avoiding me?” The faster he rushed through the bush the faster he could help her.

“Ah…” Her eyes darted away from his. Gripping and pulling her shirt down. That was enough to answer his question.

“I know you only went out to buy snacks because coach Min texted us about streaming today. You also know my daily routine at this point and you don’t leave the house unless someone asks you to go out and see him for lunch.” He didn’t feel like dropping too much. The anxiety would kill her.

“Well…” Eun Ji took in a deep breath. “I… It… Everything just… Feels weird…” Her eyes finally looked up at him. The only thing on his face was a smile.

“Why?” Jae Young unfolded his arms and hung his thumbs off his pockets.

Her eyes fell down again with her voice coming with. “I… I don’t know what to do… With someone I’m…” It was all a whisper now. “Dating…”

Why was she so cute? Jae Young could feel giggles popping inside his mouth. Eun Ji peeked up hearing them burst. “Eun Ji. You don’t have to do anything different.”

“What?” Body and attention perked up. Her back stood up straight.

“Yeah. You don’t have to do anything different. I won’t do anything different either.” Her hands began to stop fidgeting. “We don’t have to do anything different. We can just keep living the way we have been.” Shoulders fell back down to the right level. “Did you think we had to start being really lovey dovey right away? Because I would rather not. I like being with you for you.”

Eun Ji looked back down at the floor with her fingers lacing around each other. The thoughts were all running around in her head.

“Well,” Jae Young pushed himself up from the wall. Smoothing out his shirt and briefly fixing his smushed hair. “I’m going to fix something up. Come down when you’re ready.” Briskly walking past her to head downstairs.

Not a lot of steps were taken before Eun Ji bowled herself into him. Her weight crashing into his back with her arms wrapping around his waist. “Thank you Jae Young…” The words mumbled into his spine sending up shivers. Jae Young chuckled at her. She quickly swept around his right arm and grabbed a hold of it. “I’m actually really hungry.”

Jae Young grabbed his side as he laughed. “Ok what do you want to eat then?” Their footsteps echoed down the stairs.

“I don’t know.” Eun Ji smiled  at her response.

“You’re so weird Eun Ji.” Jae Young gently ruffled her hair. She giggled as her arms tightened around his. Things could be normal for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myongwolgwan is a very expensive restaurant in Korea known for their Hanwoo beef. It was actually featured in Buzzfeed Worth It.


	10. Night One

“That’s it?” Hana twirled her straw around. The drink was dried up and she found her taste buds screaming for more.

“What do you mean that’s it?!” Jae Young shot a glare over to her. “What did you expect?”

“I expected you to be mean but not a complete asshole oppa.” The alcohol took over her mouth. Nothing was going to stop her. “And unnie was just being an angel as always!”

Jae Young rolled his eyes with Eun Ji giggling against him. “I’m sooo sorry our story wasn’t up to your expectations.”

“We told you the story wasn’t very exciting.” Eun Ji pushed her half empty glass towards her. “Most of it is just depressing.”

Hana twisted her mouth up. “It was kind of cute. But why stop there?” Lunging into the middle of the table to get as close to Eun Ji as possible. “How about your first kiss?!”

“Oh please Hana.” Tae Yeon grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her off the table. “You need to ask bigger questions.” Her right elbow came down on the table. Wiggling her fingers under her chin. “Why not the story of the first time you two did it?”

“Tae Yeon!” The low lighting hid Eun Ji’s blushing face. Her hands reaching out to lightly smack her.

Jae Young followed by flicking her forehead. “You’re nasty.”

“Actually nevermind.” Tae Yeon slid back into her seat. “That story would also be not very exciting.”

Hands flew up to cover mouths. Six pairs of eyes darted around to look at other faces. Hana couldn’t stop taking peeks at everyone.

“Lee Tae Yeon.” Jae Young’s voice growled under his breath. Tae Yeon suddenly fell back into her seat. Her eyes wide open sitting still on his eyes. A cold chill gripped the group.

“Ah ha!” Eun Ji shot up from her seat. “I need some air. Come on Jae Young.” In a swift sweep she picked Jae Young up by his arm. The two stumbled around the bodies as they made their way to the door. The bell rang as it swung open and slammed shut.

Silence enveloped the pod. Everyone glanced and exchanged looks. Hana had never seen Tae Yeon back down before. Clinks from glasses interrupted anymore thoughts.

“Fuck…” The word slipped under Tae Yeon’s breath. Her hand scratched the back of her head.

Dae Sung let out a long groan. “God dammit Tae Yeon.” Even his words came out from under his breath. “Couldn’t you have just shut the fuck up for once?” The chair rubbed against the floor as he stood and pushed it out of the way. “I swear to god if any of you follow me I’ll choke you.” With that Dae Sung shuffled out of the bar.

Silence took over again. It didn’t last long as Tae Yeon’s head hit the table. Sun Hee sucked the rest of her drink up filling the space with her desperate attempts at getting every last drop.

“Sun Hee.” Young Hwa snapped his head over to her.

“What? I paid good money for this.” More sucking continued.

Young Hwa sighed rolling his eyes with. “You’re unbearable.”

Hana turned to look out the windows. Eun Ji and Jae Young hadn’t gone very far. Just a few meters away from the bar. Dae Sung had caught up to them and was chatting away. She had no idea what could possibly be happening outside.

“Are you ok noona?” They hadn’t gotten very far. Dae Sung caught up to them in a few long strides. Eun Ji nodded to answer. “Hyung?”

“I’d rather not focus on that right now.” Snappy and to the point. He expected nothing else from Jae Young.

“You know Tae Yeon doesn’t mean that.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that she’s a bitch who’s mouth can’t stop running.”

“Jae Young.” The two snapped so fast he couldn’t keep up. The alcohol rushing to his head didn’t help.

Dae Sung sighed rubbing at his temple. “Yeah you’re not wrong hyung.”

Voices began shouting behind him. Footsteps accompanied them.

“Oh my god you absolute stick in the mud.” Sun Hee’s shrill rang down the streets.

Jae Young took in a deep breath causing steam to seep out his nose.

“Me the stick in the mud?! You’re the one who wouldn’t listen to any of us for a week until you finally ate shit during the game!” Young Hwa’s voice cracked as he tried to fight Sun Hee.

Hana skipped to keep up with them. Young Hwa was the next to get up which caused everyone else to follow him. Tae Yeon trailed behind with her lips sealed tight. Eun Ji gave a small wave as they approached.

“Yo unnie we’re gonna bounce. I wanna hit up a few other places.” Mi Sook wrapped her hair around her fingers. “Just wanted to let you guys know.”

“Thanks Mi Sook.” The smallest smile graced Eun Ji’s face. She was too kind for anything else.

“Kyung Tae, Sun Hee unnie, and Young Hwa oppa are gonna join me. Unnie mentioned this pretty neat spot to check out.”

That was not discussed before. Hana could feel herself jerking back at Mi Sook’s sudden gestures.

“Hold on. I didn’t agree to anything.” Young Hwa raised his hands up in the air. “When did we discuss this?”

“Literally just now.” A smirk was the only thing on her face. “Why? Did you plan on going back to the hotel and go to bed at a reasonable time?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I planned.”

“So typical.” Sun Hee’s eyes rolled so far around they would pop out. “Live a little would ya?”

Giggles came from Eun Ji. “You four have fun. But stay safe!” Her right hand began to gently fan her face.

“You could join us if you want.” Young Hwa’s voice was scrambling, clawing at anything to help him.

Eun Ji kept smiling. “No I think we’re done for the night.”

Hana watched as Young Hwa slowly deflated. The weight of defeat crushing his back. Sun Hee and Mi Sook high fived each other. “Kyung Tae please. We don’t have to go out with them.”

Kyung Tae shrugged. “I think it’ll be fun. Besides hyung it’s not like you do this often.”

“Ugh fine. I’ll go.”

Mi Sook squealed at his response. She grabbed Sun Hee’s hand and the two took off. Young Hwa groaned as he slowly followed alongside Kyung Tae. Only five bodies were left.

“What about you Dae Sung?” Eun Ji was still fanning her face.

Dae Sung gave a light shrug. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll go bother others in MEKA.” A pause grew in between them. Dae Sung’s eyebrows furrowed together as he watched Eun Ji. “Noona are you ok?”

“Yeah I am. I think I need to change and shower. I’m really hot right now.”

Hana took a closer look to see her face blushed in red. Tae Yeon stepped out from behind Dae Sung and handed Eun Ji a hair tie. “That’s because you wear long sleeves and pants when it’s thirty degrees outside.”

Eun Ji giggled as she tied her hair up. “Thank you Tae Yeon. But you know I don’t own any other types of clothing.”

Her hair was sleek in the ponytail. Hana had never seen her with her hair up. “Unnie why don’t we go shopping tomorrow!”

“What?” The red turned pink at the suggestion.

“Yeah! A makeover. It’s way too hot in Busan for you to wear long sleeves.” Hana rocked back and forth on her heels. “It’ll be fun!”

The look on Eun Ji’s face wasn’t looking good. Her lips frowned at the idea. “I don’t know… I haven’t worn a short sleeve shirt in years…”

“I actually like that idea Hana.” Tae Yeon’s voice dropped down to where it usually sat. Hearing that come from Tae Yeon made her beam.

“I promise it won’t be anything weird.” Hana extended her arm out to Eun Ji. Pointing her pinky up hoping she would cross her pinky with hers.

“Well… Ok.” Eun Ji wrapped her pinky around her’s. “But nothing expensive.”

“Got it!” Hana could feel the smile pushing up on her face. A makeover with Eun ji was set in place.

Jae Young’s hand covered his mouth as he snorted. “Ok then. Make sure to show me how successful you are tomorrow.” His words and tone didn’t match up. It was hard to tell what was throwing everything off. Without another word he gently tugged at Eun Ji’s arm, gesturing her to follow him. The two walked off without another word.

“Oh my god…” Dae Sung ran his hand down his face. “I just realized we didn’t tell anyone where we’re staying for our break.”

“I guess that’s what the rest of our night has become.” Tae Yeon shook her head at the ground. Arms crossed over each other with a small bounce in her legs as she stood next to him.

“Oh can I help?” Hana shuffled up right next to Tae Yeon.

A snort came out of both of them. “Hana go hang out with your friends now.” Tae Yeon gently pushed Hana’s shoulder back.

The push caused Hana to stumble back a bit. “What?” A frown grew on her face. This wasn’t the first time she had done this. “I’m not your friend?”

Tae Yeon continued to chuckle. “I meant go hang out with a better friend.”

A better friend? Tae Yeon gave a small wave and the two began to walk away. “But!”

“Take a hint Hana.” Dae Sung gave her a peace sign keeping his back to her.

Right. They wanted to be alone now. Hana whipped her phone out to see several missed messages. Most of them from Yuna. Sliding her phone open the messages all loaded up.

“Where are you?”

“We’re going out to a bar right now.”

“Are you still with Tae Yeon unnie?”

“Ok I’m sure you’re having fun so see you later.”

The next message was a selca. Yuna and Jae Eun making hearts with other MEKA pilots in the background of a club. Hana quickly pressed the call button and put the phone up to her ear. The dial rang a few times before Yuna’s voice popped up. “Hello this is Lee Yuna. I am currently unavailable. Please leave a message.” A long beep invaded Hana’s ear. Yuna wasn’t going to be around for a while. Hana took a look around. It’s been a while since she was at Busan for a vacation. Neon lights lit up every corner. An arcade stood at the very end of the street she stood on. In an instant her legs began to move towards it. There was bound to be someone there. Someone to beat with a new high score.

* * *

 

About a fourth of MEKA was informed about their hotel. Dae Sung had texted the numbers he had and Tae Yeon covered her half. “Ok we hit up all the hot spots in this area. I doubt anyone took the subway out of this neighborhood. And if no one is stupid about this the ones we texted and talked to in person should tell the people they’re connected to.” Dae Sung put his phone into his pocket. His hands gently resting off the sides of them.

Tae Yeon slowly nodded half listening to him. “Uh huh.” Twisting around a chicken kabob she picked up from a street vendor.

“Still obsessing over how stupid you were to Jae Young hyung and Eun Ji noona?”

“You know it.” Dae Sung’s words struck a nerve. He didn’t have to be so direct. She didn’t have to look at his face to know it was flat with no other expression.

“Are you going to do something impulsive to try and forget about it or own up to it like a fucking adult?”

The nail hammered into that nerve even harder. Tae Yeon punched his arm. “Fuck you.”

“Am I wrong?”

Of course he wasn’t wrong. Didn’t make any of it feel any better. “I just… I don’t know. I know that’s a subject they don’t like talking about. And I still blurted out all that dumb shit to them.”

“You could take a lesson from Young Hwa. Just stop being a hoe.”

“Says you.” An empty can rolled around the street. Tae Yeon kicked it as hard as she could sending it flying. “I mean.” Finally her head turned up to look at Dae Sung. “There’s no way they don’t have sex.”

“Why do you have to know if they do it in bed or not?” His eyes still didn’t meet with hers.

“A simple yes or no would satisfy my curiosity.”

“Ha!” Dae Sung’s head flew back at his laugh. “No it wouldn’t. You would still drill them for more after that yes or no.”

Right again. “Fuck you. Stop knowing me.”

Dae Sung finally turned to look her back in the eyes. “Oh sweetie that’s too late for the both of us.” He didn’t have to say anymore for Tae Yeon to know where this was going. The two stopped walking and squared off facing each other. Dae Sung leaned in with their noses almost touching. “It’s too late to get off the fucking train. Bitch.” Tae Yeon squinted back at him. In a flash his lips smacked hers. Dae Sung’s walking resumed before hers did. She wanted to punch him.

“I’ll fucking wreck you.”

“Not before I do.”

There was nothing else she could say back. Dae Sung would always respond with something else. As words tried to form in her head thoughts began to intrude them. “Hey.”

“Hey what?”

“Tomorrow. Wanna back to our old neighborhood?”

For once Dae Sung didn’t respond back right away. His pace continued as the answer formed in his mind. Tae Yeon watched as his face continued to sit still. “Let’s go get ddeokbokki.”

That’s the answer she expected. “I hate you.” Gently elbowing him in his side.

“You love me.”

“Not exactly.”

“Oh please. Who else would let you rail on them?”

Another response she couldn’t fire back at. “When do you wanna go tomorrow?”

“Whenever you can feel your legs again.”

Tae Yeon let out the biggest punch she could. Nailing his forearm. Dae Sung flicked at her forehead. Things were all ok.

* * *

 

The music shook the walls. Smells of cigarettes, alcohol, and sweat assaulted his nose. Young Hwa sat on the stool holding onto a purse. Bodies took over the bar pushing him to the very edge. The bartender glanced over to check if he wanted anything. Young Hwa caught his glance and waved him away. Quickly he took a peek at his phone. Twenty three o’clock. A long sigh fell out of his mouth. He just wanted to sleep.

Laughter came closer to him. Sun Hee stumbled over pushing the random person who stood next to him over. “Excuse me!” The bartender turned back after being waved away. “Two poktanju’s please!” He nodded and quickly moved to serve them. Sun Hee plopped onto the stool and grabbed her purse. “He’s cute don’t you think?”

Young Hwa shrugged. He already knew why she said that. “Yeah I guess. Why did you get two poktanju’s?”

“One for you and one for me.” The bartender slid the two glasses of beer and shots of soju over to them. Sun Hee slapped down twenty thousand won in front of him. “Obviously.” She moved a glass and shot over to him. “And what you mean by I guess? Is he like your type or my type?”

Young Hwa’s nose scrunched up at the smell of the soju. “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Gently pushing the glass back to Sun Hee.

Her eyes rolled around as her hand pushed the glass back to him. “Why are you so boring?”

“Why are you sitting by me then?” He could feel his gut wrenching. The glass was pushed back towards her.

“So you could have a better time than just sitting by yourself.” One last shove of the glass before the bartender came back with her change. Sun Hee grabbed it and left five thousand won behind.

“Well I would have a better time if you stopped forcing me to do things I didn’t enjoy!” The beer spilled out of the glass. Young Hwa watched as Sun Hee jumped.

Other voices filled the space between them. Sun Hee turned to the bar and waved at a different bartender. She quickly  walked over with a towel and cleaned up the beer that had escaped the glass. Sun Hee only nodded her thanks as the bartender walked away. Young Hwa closed his eyes and sighed. That wasn’t what he meant. His head slowly hit the wall next to him hoping she would just leave.

Sun Hee’s fingers tapped around the bar. “Why don’t you just tell me something you enjoy that doesn’t involve being by yourself?” Her harsh snappy tone bit his ears.

“I don’t know.” His hand reached out and took the glass of beer back. Young Hwa’s thoughts wandered back a few years. There was no reason to but he did.

Sun Hee’s head fell into her hand resting from her elbow. “If I recall you used to really enjoy being out with your friends.”

Why did she have to bring that up? Young Hwa squeezed his eyes even tighter. “Yeah I guess I used to.” Finally opening his eyes to be welcomed with a blur.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“When do you ever know?” Her eyes slid over to stab him. He glanced over to meet her cold gaze. Her energy had fallen.

Young Hwa sighed again. He picked up the soju shot and raised it to Sun Hee. Reluctantly she raised her glass and clinked it against his. They both dropped the shot into the glass of beer and began chugging. It was gone in seconds.

“Ah.” The two put their glasses down at the same time. Space between them continued to sit still. Young Hwa hated all of this. A bartender came and took their glasses. She smiled at them both before going to serve someone else.

Sun Hee’s eyes followed her for a bit. “Hey.” She turned back to Young Hwa with a small smile. “She’s pretty cute.”

Young Hwa rolled his eyes. “Do you mean my type of cute or your type of cute?” His response caused Sun Hee to sit up straighter. The smile growing on her face.

Their phones both buzzed. Sun Hee took a quick look and began laughing. Young Hwa looked down to see Dae Sung’s text. “We forgot to tell people where we’re staying. Do your job and go tell people in your contacts and whoever you see.”

“Come on.” Sun Hee jumped off the stool. “Let’s go.”

“What?” Her hand reached out and pulled him off the stool. “What about Mi Sook and Kyung Tae?”

Sun Hee shrugged. “They’ll be fine. Last time I was looking they both found something to do.” She began to walk out of the club still gripping at his wrist.

“I hope that’s not what I think it is.” The noise began to fall the farther they got.

“Young Hwa please.” She turned back with a smirk on her face. “I’m not Tae Yeon unnie.”

Young Hwa smirked back. “That’s a relief.”

The two began laughing as they started to bound out of the club. Bursting out of the doors with fresh air hitting their faces. Neon lights took over the streets. Young Hwa looked around to see a street vendor. He shook his arm to grab Sun Hee’s attention. “Kimbap?”

“Only with dddeokbokki.” She let go of his wrist and they walked over to the street vendor.

“Good evening!” The vendor smiled as he tended to the food cooking.

“Two kimbap rolls and a bowl of ddeokbokki please.” Young Hwa slid ten thousand won over to him. The vendor nodded and quickly grabbed their food. In a matter of seconds a bowl and plate slid out. “Thank you.”

The vendor nodded and returned to his food. Sun Hee pushed the bowl over down the vendor’s stand. More stools to sit on. “So where should we go first? I’m sure someone in the arcade already got the message and told others there. Same with anyone at karaoke.”

“We could try the more obscure places. But you would know that a lot better than me.” Young Hwa picked up the kimbap with his hands.

“True. Oh how about the area around the station? I doubt anyone left the neighborhood tonight but it’s a good crossing point.” Sun Hee followed with her hands grabbing a roll of kimbap.

The two sat for a bit chewing. Young Hwa’s head was still spinning. After they finished finding people he really wanted to go to bed. “Sounds good. Plus it’s closer to the hotel we’re staying at.”

“That tired?”

“Are you not? You had so much to drink.”

“Yeah I’m tired but I just don’t wanna go to bed yet.” Sun Hee grabbed a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart. She went for the ddeokbokki right away. “I guess I just want to find something to do.”

“You’ve been doing things.”

Sun Hee dramatically turned her head towards him. The look on her face explained it all. Young Hwa rolled his eyes with a groan. “Literally only MEKA is around with a few random people in the streets. Most already with their friends or significant others.”

“Yeah but doesn’t mean I don’t want to do something that isn’t a friend thing.”

Young Hwa shrugged. “If it were Dae Sung or Tae Yeon they’d argue the opposite.”

“That’s because Dae Sung and Tae Yeon are weird.” The dddeokbokki was disappearing. Young Hwa quickly went in for a few pieces. “When was the last time you went on a date?”

“It’s been a while.” Popping in another roll. “I was still in my trainee days when I last dated someone from my old school.”

“Fuck. That’s more than ten years ago.”

“If I’m being honest I actually broke contract for a bit. So less than ten years.”

“What?!” Sun Hee covered her mouth to stop food from falling out. “How did I not know about this? When did that happen? And with who?”

That was not the right thing to say. Nothing was able to stop the words though. Young Hwa groaned as another roll was consumed. “It was after I transferred to SKT. So first year of high school. They were from my school.”

Sun Hee squinted at him. “Are you saying they because you don’t want me to know their gender or because they were they?”

“They preferred they but didn’t stop anyone calling them anything else.” Young Hwa grabbed a water container and poured two cups. “It doesn’t matter. It didn’t go very well. It’s kind of hard to date someone when you’re not supposed.”

Sun Hee took the cup and sipped at it. “Worked out for Eun Ji unnie and Jae Young oppa.”

“Yeah well they have it a lot easier. They already had a relationship and are on the same team. It’s not the same when you’re training and they just want to have a more normal life and be able to tell people they were dating.” Young Hwa took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Anyways. It didn’t last very long.”

Silence took over. Sun Hee continued to eat what was left. “It does make it a lot harder. I just went on a lot of dates with nothing to produce from them. I stopped trying after we debuted.”

“I can’t believe you gave me flack about not dating someone for almost ten years when you’ve done the same thing.” Young Hwa finished off the last roll of kimbap and dddeokbokki.

“Shit you’re right.” Sun Hee drank the rest of her water. Picking up the plate and bowl to give back to the vendor. “Thank you!” The vendor waved at them as they left. “Hey I have a question.”

“What is it about? Am I going to immediately say no?” He stuffed his pants into his pockets. The station wasn’t very far.

“I hope not.” Sun Hee looked forward down the street. “Do you want to come to my old neighborhood tomorrow?”

Young Hwa turned to study her face. It was blank. “What why?”

“My parents want me over since they know I’m here for vacation. It’s not far from here either so I don’t have an excuse to not see them.”

“I thought you were cool with your parents?”

“Yeah but ever since MEKA it’s been… rough.” She crossed her arms over each other. “They really didn’t want me in the military.”

She didn’t have to say anything else to him. Young Hwa sighed and gently bumped into her. “Yeah I guess I’ll go. Plus,” Her head turned to look up to him. “I want to see how good your restaurant really is.”

“Trust me.” Her nose shot up high. “It’s the absolute best.”

“I’ll be the judge of that tomorrow.”

The two continued walking down to the station. Their footsteps growing fainter the close they got to the main roads.

* * *

 

Mi Sook pushed her way through the bodies. The text from Tae Yeon lit up her phone. “Kyung Tae!” He was only a few meters away. “Kyung Tae!” Her hand reached out and grabbed his arm. “Did you get a text from Tae Yeon unnie?”

Kyung Tae jumped from her grabbing his arm. He was standing by the bathroom. “Yeah I did. We should probably go find people.”

“Where did Sun Hee unnie and Young Hwa oppa go?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. They’re not anywhere here. I’ve been looking around.”

Mi Sook sighed. She didn’t want her night to end so early. “I guess that means we have to go.” Turning on her heel she began to head out the club. Kyung Tae followed behind.

Lights flooded the streets. It was an hour away from midnight. Things were quiet. Kyung Tae looked around for a bit. “Where do we even start?”

“I’d say the arcades and karaoke.” Mi Sook tapped away at her phone. Sending the address to as many people in her contacts from MEKA. “I’m sure most of them have received the same text from a bunch of different people.”

“If that’s your logic then the hot spots already have people informed.” He scratched the back of his head. His words were slurred from the alcohol. At least he wasn’t responding slowly.

“Kyung Tae please.” It took him forever to understand anything. “I’m suggesting the arcade because I want to do something fun.”

The shrug he gave went on for too long. “Could have just said that to begin with.”

Her eyes rolled around pulling her skull with. “Come on let’s go.” Taking charge and moving forward. She had already reached the end of the block. Turning around to see Kyung Tae several steps behind her. “Why are you so slow?”

Kyung Tae chuckled. “Careful. Your Jeolla-do dialect is coming out.”

“Aurgh!” Mi Sook stomped her foot. “I can’t believe you’re not from Jeolla-do. You’re just as slow as everyone else there.”

“I wish I was. It’s nice to take things slow.” Kyung Tae finally caught up to her. His pace didn’t stop.

“How do you even hold the record for highest APM?” Mi Sook skipped over to his side every time he made some distance.

Kyung Tae shrugged again. “Beats me. I just do.” The arcade slowly came into sight. “But that was during my prime. I can’t reach that APM anymore.”

“You make it sound like you’re way older than you actually are.” Continuing to hop next to him. This was the only way to keep at his pace.

“I mean honestly a lot of us are at the age of retirement. People who play games are just like anyone else. You have a prime and then as you get older it starts to fall off.” The words began to clear up. “Truthfully if it weren’t for MEKA I was going to retire soon. I can’t keep up like I used to and there are better players just waiting to get a chance at the spotlight.”

He wasn’t wrong. Most pro players retired around their age. The idea of retiring has crossed her mind. It was something she didn’t want to think about.

“Our time is basically up. We can’t keep holding onto our titles and status for that much longer. But MEKA let’s us live it out for a bit longer.” Neon lights from the arcade began to consume the street. “I feel bad for Seung Hwa. He could easily take over my title if he didn’t join MEKA.”

“Seung Hwa? You mean Overlord from ROX Tigers right?” Mi Sook inched closer and closer to the arcade.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’s the youngest in MEKA right now. Before this whole mess Jin Air actually had talks of him transferring teams and training under me.”

This was new. It was exciting. “For real?” Mi Sook clasped her hands together and jumped in front of Kyung Tae. “Were you going to retire and become his coach or something?”

“I don’t know about coach. But that’s what our manager and coaches talked about.” Kyung Tae didn’t stop walking. “I don’t think I’d make a good coach. I just wanted to retire and live a simple life.”

“What? For real?” Mi Sook stood up straight as she walked backwards. “You don’t want to continue with e-sports?”

“What about you?” He met eye to eye with her. “Haven’t you thought about what you would do after you retire?”

The question made her steps stop. Every fiber of her being wanted to avoid that future. “Not really. I haven’t thought of retiring at all.”

Kyung Tae finally stopped walking. “Well. I guess you can keep delaying that answer. We’ll be in MEKA for a while.”

She needed another drink. “Yeah.” The energy she had dropped. The doors to the arcade stood in front of them. Buzzing from the lights took over. Beeps and voices seeped from under the doors.

“Well. We’re here.” Kyung Tae motioned his head towards the door. For once he was the first to move. Mi Sook followed suit behind him.

Noise rushed into her ears. Most of MEKA was here. A large crowd had gathered around a game. Mi Sook made her way over with Kyung Tae behind. Screams erupted with people high fiving each other and showing distraught.

“Ha! Beat that!” Hana pumped her fists up into the air. The crowd opened up to step back from the challenge.

“Oh Siege Mode 3.” Kyung Tae’s voice rose over. “I played this game a lot.” Making his way through the crowd over to the machine on the left next to Hana. He extended his hand out to her and waited. “If I lose I’ll give you more credit.”

“And if you win?” Hana handed the game card over to him waiting for a response.

“If I win I give you more game credits.” Swiping the card to start the game.

“Oppa that’s not how that works!” She laughed taking the game card back.

Kyung Tae shrugged again. “Works for me.”

Mi Sook walked over to stand on the right side. She scanned the crowd to see who was watching. It was only MEKA who surrounded the game. Her eyes landed on the face of a timid looking Seung Hwa standing next to Kyung Soo. The words Kyung Tae said earlier rang in her mind. He watched in utter fascination. The game started and Kyung Tae was off. Mashing the buttons so fast she couldn’t keep up. That’s right. He can only keep his title because their careers paused. There was no way for anyone else to surpass him right now. The crowd began to rile up. Hana’s eyes widened watching him.

After several minutes the victory screen popped up. Kyung Tae stretched his arms up cracking a few fingers and his neck as he rolled it around. The score was rising up. The machine dinged as his score knocked Hana’s down. Everyone started yelling with a few jumping up and down. Hana stood with her mouth wide open. Kyung Tae smiled and took her game card. “Guess you still have to raise your APM.” Mi Sook stood in shock. Watching him enter his initials for the score. “Stay here Hana I’ll add the credits I took from you.” With that he turned and weaved through the crowd.

Mi Sook quickly dashed out. It didn’t take much to catch up to him. “What the hell. You said your APM wasn’t as good.”

“It isn’t. I used to able to beat that game in less time.” He scanned the card up against the machine. Adding how much he would reload the card with. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t have any of my skill left.” Kyung Tae turned and winked at her.

She could feel herself gasping. “You cheeky sly son of a bitch.” He had already started making his way back to Hana. Mi Sook jumped next to him with arms crossed over. “Ok then Thunder. Tomorrow you’re gonna teach me about your APM.” Kyung Tae’s eyebrows furrowed together. “You know that MOBA’s don’t utilize APM the same way Starcraft does.”

Another shrug from him. “Alright then. I can show you.”

Hana tapped her foot as she waited for her game card to return to her. “Here you go Hana.” Kyung Tae placed it into her hands. “GG.” Turning on his heel away from the crowd.

Mi Sook continued to hop over next to him. How exciting.

* * *

Hana couldn’t believe it. Her score was beat. After she had just beat everyone else’s score. The crowd began to spread out leaving her behind. “So cruel…” Her head fell into her hands.

“What else did you expect?” Hana looked up to see Seung Hwa standing next to her. “After all Kyung Tae hyung holds the record for highest APM still.”

She groaned at his words. “You’re such a fanboy.”

Seung Hwa giggled at her words. “What about you? You just happened to play an APM based game as Kyung Tae came in.”

“Well.” Hana burst up from her slump. “That just means I have to get the high score in other games.”

“Woah careful rabbit.” Kyung Soo’s dry voice cut through. “You’re gonna pull a muscle and get eaten.”

He always came in to say something. “There’s no way I would pull a muscle. I’m number one and I’m going to prove it!” She didn’t wait for another word. Hana bounded off to the next game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siege Mode 3 is a game that appears in the Hanamura arcade.
> 
> Jeolla do is the south west region of Korea.


	11. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some mature things in this chapter. Nothing explicit.

2074

Holiday break once again. Eun Ji’s slippers pattered against the floor. Another empty house for her to keep an eye on. Inside the kitchen she lightly tugged on the refrigerator, peeling it open. The light flooded the floor of the kitchen. A mostly empty space stared back at her. Bottles of soju and cans of various soda littered the inside.

“You know the lights aren’t broken.” The flick of the switch caused the whole kitchen to be lit up.

Eun Ji turned to see Jae Young standing at the doorway. A frown sat on her face. “I know that.”

Chuckles came from him. He shuffled over to the fridge and reached for a can of Nano Cola. “Then why keep them off? It’s almost noon.”

“What?” Eun Ji swore it was much earlier. She turned and squinted at the clock on the stoves. It really was almost noon.

“Oh my god Eun Ji.” His voice was low in a whisper. He quickly kissed her head and closed the fridge door. “Were you not looking at the time? We have to go soon.” The can cracked open letting bubbles escape.

“I know that. I just… Got distracted.” She looked up and down at him. “And it’s not like you’re ready either.”

Jae Young looked down at himself. Blinking a few times before sipping his soda. “Shit.”

Eun Ji laughed as he finished the soda. “Don’t try and shun me ever again.” Sliding over to gently headbutt him.

The can was crushed and tossed into the recycling bin. “Never.” Kissing her head again. “Come on let’s get ready.” Eun Ji giggled as he wrapped his arm around her. Walking out of the kitchen to go back to their rooms and change.

* * *

It was colder than what she thought it would be. Jae Young held her hand as he lead her to the familiar apartment complex. Reaching the door he punched in the complex number. The bell played a jingle when the screen suddenly turned on.

“Hello?”

“Let us in. It’s cold.” An eye took up the whole screen looking at them. Jae Young rolled his eyes. “Sung Jin I swear I’m going to smack you if you don’t let us in.”

“Why are you so sour?” The bell buzzed and the door slid open. The two walked inside and approached the elevator.

Jae Young quickly pushed the up button on the elevator. It dinged as it reached the ground floor. He gestured Eun Ji to enter first as the doors slid open. Eun Ji hopped in with Jae Young following and pressing the eighteenth floor. The doors closed shut and the climb began.

Even with the heat of the building Eun Ji was still shivering. Her coat was too thin. “Should have worn something warmer.” Jae Young wrapped his arms around her. Her arms tingled at the embrace. Hot spots emerged from his body pressing against hers. His lips gently pressed against the back of her head. More tingles travelled down her spine from the kiss.

A woman’s voice announced the eighteenth floor and the doors opened. Standing in front of the elevator was a familiar figure. The short hair was now a different color from before. “Good thing I saw that and the other two didn’t.” Eun Ji’s face began to burn.

“Good seeing you too Soo Jin.” Still holding her, Jae Young waddled out of the elevator with Eun Ji.

“We don’t live far.” Soo Jin’s eyebrows rose at him. “And yet we only see you two times a year.”

“Har har.” Jae Young slowly let go of Eun Ji. The warmth he gave began to seep away.

They approached the apartment and Soo Jin pressed the code in. “Make yourself comfortable. We didn’t make lunch because we’re lazy. Just the usual chicken and beer.” Shoes slipped off before entering the hallway. “Hey Jae Young and Eun Ji are here!” Soo Jin hollered into the apartment.

Footsteps pounded around the apartment. A body came crashing through hugging Jae Young. “Jae Young! You made it!”

“Sung Jin please.” His voice crushed by the grip he was in.

Sung Jin let go and turned to Eun Ji. “Eun Ji! You’re looking cute as always!” He went in and hugged her. Giving the same crushing grip he did with Jae Young.

“Hi Sung Jin.” She was let go sooner than Jae Young. Her lungs filled up with new air.

The second set of footsteps stopped in the kitchen. “Oh is the forbidden relationship here? How dare you taint this house with such impurity?”

“Jung Nam you don’t even live here.” Jae Young walked over to Jung Nam and two briefly hugged.

“Yeah but at least I’m here often enough to pretend I do.” He gently pushed Jae Young to the side and shuffled over to Eun Ji. “Always good to see you Eun Ji.” Giving the same brief hug he did with Jae Young. “Oh yeah congrats on winning again. That was a pretty close game. Didn’t think you guys could win it this year.” Jung Nam grabbed a pack of beer and soju and began to head towards the living room.

“Gee thanks.” Jae Young followed behind promptly.

A low table was already set up with boxes of chicken taking up most of the space. Soo Jin and Sung Jin placed the plates and shot glasses out. Little seat cushions circled the table. Everyone sat down one by one in their desired spot. Jae Young and Eun Ji on one side with Soo Jin and Sung Jin taking the opposite side. Jung Nam put the packs down and sat at end.

“To be fair. You guys are around the age of retirement.” Soo Jin started cracking open cans of beer. “And I say this because I love you, but it’s apparent that your skill isn’t what it used to be.” She started passing out beers to the left. “But you also kind of started late in your career.”

The can of beer made its way to Eun Ji. She took and passed it back to Soo Jin. Only glancing at the beer returning to she took and sipped from it.

“Last year was definitely your peak.” Jung Nam twisted a bottle of soju open.

“Last year was a lot of peaks. And downfalls.” Jae Young handed his shot glass over to him. “Other than Tae Yeon retiring, a lot are speculating if Kyung Tae is going to retire soon too. Especially now that Starcraft has hit an all time high in popularity recently.”

“Tae Yeon retired early.” Sung Jin took his and Soo Jin’s shot glasses and passed them to Jung Nam. “I feel bad for her. She definitely had at least another year before her prime was over.”

“That D.Va is too good though.” Jung Nam began handing back the shots. He looked up to Eun Ji and cocked his head. Quickly she shook her head at the offer. “One of the youngest to win a championship and take down someone who owned that title four years in a row.”

“Who else on SKT is planning on retirement? Most of the League players are close to that age aren’t they? Sung Jin swirled his shot around for a bit. “I know Dae Sung, Young Hwa, and Jun Ha are getting close.”

Jae Young nodded. “We have a handful of SMITE players planning retirement right now. Joon Ho hyung, Yun Seok hyung, Hyun Jung noona, and Yoo Kyung noona have announced their last year.”

Eun Ji could feel a weight pressing down on her. “But we have a lot of new players who can fill. A lot of the trainees look promising.”

“So when are you two thinking of retiring and finally revealing your relationship to the public?” Soo Jin never hesitated to ask difficult questions. Her face rested against her hand.

“Ah…” That was a question Eun Ji never asked herself. It seemed too early to retire.

“I don’t know.” Jae Young picked up his shot. “It’s been over ten years since I started E-sports and I still feel like I can do more.”

“To be fair.” Jung Nam put the bottle of soju onto the ground. “You started later than most pro players. Same with you Eun Ji. You both had such a late start it’s weird to stop so soon.”

Sung Jin sighed and raised his glass. “Ok can we stop talking about work? We’re here to eat and get drunk.” The other three raised their glasses and clinked them together. “Congrats to Jae Young and Eun Ji and let’s have a good rest of the year!”

“Cheers!” The four turned their heads and downed the shots. Eun Ji smiled as they began coughing.

“Fuck Jung Nam what did you buy?” Soo Jin held her nose to stop the burning. “This is way stronger than usual.”

“It’s Andong soju.”

“Holy shit.” Sung Jin coughed to the side. Taking a peek at the bottle that sat on the ground. “You swapped the bottles!”

A smirk sat on Jung Nam’s face. Jae Young covered his face as he reeled from the soju. “God dammit. Is this traditional Andong soju? There’s no way modern would be this strong.”

“Of course it is. You think I’d visit Andong and not buy some traditional soju?”

Eun Ji giggled as the three continued coughing. Her hand reached for Jae Young’s back and began rubbing up and down. His coughing began to die down.

“Ah you’re so sweet.” Soo Jin’s voice still raspy from the soju. She reached for a chicken leg and bit out of it. “Eun Ji how the hell are you so sweet?”

“And how are you dating someone so sour?” Sung Jin jumped in with his voice scratching the surface. Tearing open all the other boxes to release the savory aroma.

“Well… Jae Young isn’t that sour.” Eun Ji slowly stopped rubbing Jae Young’s back. Her hands came up under her chin and held her head. “He’s actually really cu-” A chicken wing cut her off.

“Here eat up.” Jae Young let go of the the chicken wing that hung on her teeth. Eun Ji grabbed the wing and growled at him. He only returned with a smirk.

Jung Nam blinked a few times. Soo Jin and Sung Jin began to cover their mouths. Their shoulders beginning to shake. “Oh my god Jae Young.” Jung Nam cooed at him. “That was so forceful.”

Eun Ji’s eyebrows furrowed together. Forceful? Jae Young giving her a chicken wing was forceful? Slowly she took a bite from the wing. The crisp skin snapping under her teeth.

Soo Jin leaned into the table cooing next. “Is that how you give it to her?”

Oh. Eun Ji swallowed in air too quickly. That’s what they meant. Her face began to heat up as air struggled to leave her throat. In an instant her hands dropped the wing and shot up to cover her face. Coughing began to take over her lungs.

“I hate all of you.” Jae Young ignored their coos and continued with his meal.

“Well is it how you give it to her?” Sung Jin leaned in next. Eun Ji peeked behind her fingers. Jae Young continued eating without another word. “Wait… Have you two done it yet?”

Eun Ji could feel the heat trapped behind her hands. It was suffocating her. They could have asked anything else about them and she would have answered. This question was too much. A string began to tangle in her mind. Thoughts blurred together rolling the string up and over itself.

“Why does it matter?” Jae Young’s cool voice cut through her ears. “I wouldn’t answer that question no matter what the answer was.” A hand squeezed her knee. Looking down she saw his hand gently squeezing her knee.

“Tch… Fine.” Soo Jin picked herself up from leaning into the table.

Soon the conversation shifted. Eun Ji could feel the heat slipping away. Jae Young’s hand still rested on her knee. Peeping through her fingers she watched as Sung Jin told a story. His hands wildly dancing around. She turned to look at Jae Young. His straight face looked forward at the animated Sung Jin. A small smile sitting on his face. Eun Ji slowly put her hands down to hold onto the hand on her knee. Jae Young glanced over with a bigger smile. Turning his hand up to lock their fingers together. Eun Ji smiled back. As she turned her eyes met Soo Jin’s. She was watching them. Soo Jin lightly chuckled and her attention turned over to Sung Jin. Looking down the chicken wing had landed on her plate. Eun Ji picked it back up to finish the rest of it.

* * *

The sun had already set. Soo Jin, Sung Jin, and Jung Nam waved as they left the apartment. They had come down with them to say their goodbyes. The doors slid closed and the three turned back disappearing into the elevator. Jae Young’s hand squeezed hers and the two began to walk back to the subway.

“Do you want to stream when we get back or just take it easy?” Jae Young huddled closer to her.

“Mmm…” The smell of soju wafted from him. “We can just take it easy.” The ball of string sat in her mind. It wouldn’t untangle itself and roll away. Maybe sitting and doing nothing would make it go away.

“Sounds good.” Jae Young squeezed her hand again. “Oh don’t forget. I’m going to visit my noona for a two day one night trip.”

Eun Ji tilted her head to the side gently hitting his arm. “With Mi Young unnie? Isn’t that tomorrow?”

“Yeah…”

“Have you even packed?”

Jae Young coughed. “Not yet.”

“Jae Young!” Eun Ji lightly smacked his arm. “You are packing as soon as we get to the house.”

The two laughed as the continued to make their way to the subway. But the string ball still rolled around.

* * *

Jae Young hopped off the train. Readjusting the bag hanging from his shoulder. Daejeon was always a spectacle. Looking around at the signs, Jae Young began to make his way out of the station.

As his feet landed out of the station a voice called for him. “Jae Young!” A heavily coated figure rushed over to him. “Jae Young you made it!”

“Hi noona.” He opened his arms up as she collided with him for a hug. “How have you been?”

“Good! But we can talk about this back home. It’s cold right now.” Her hands tugged at his coat sleeves. Mi Young lead the way to the street and hailed a taxi. “Did you pack enough?”

Jae Young chuckled at her. “Noona it’s only two days and one night.” It’s been a while since someone doted on him.

“I know I know.” A taxi pulled up to them. “But I just want to make sure.”

Mi Young opened up the backseat door and slid in. Jae Young followed behind. She gave the driver an address and he took off. It felt nice to have someone poke him for once.

* * *

The apartment looked different every time he visited. Mi Young always rearranged the furniture or added something new. Jae Young set his bag down in the guest bedroom. Just a bed and a desk filled the space up. Shuffling out the room he took a closer look at the living room. More pictures lined different tops of furniture. The couch had grown in size and there was a cat walking around now. Jae Young crouched down and waved his hand in front of the cat. Taking a sniff the cat meowed.

“I think she likes you.” Mi Young entered the living room with a tray of two mugs. She placed the tray on the table and sat on the couch.

“Oh please.” Jae Young rolled his eyes and got up. “She sniffed my hand once.” Joining her on the couch. The smell of coffee began to fill the room.

Mi Young blew on her coffee before taking a sip. “That just means you should visit more often.” It didn’t matter where he went. People were bound to tell him the same thing.

“Noona you live way farther away now. If you were still in Seoul I would.” Reaching for his mug, Jae Young clutched it close to his body.

“Don’t lie! You wouldn’t visit when I was in Seoul.”

Thinking that far back made his head hurt. “You don’t know that. I was different back then.”

“You really were.” She took another sip of the coffee. Her glasses fogged up from the steam. “I’m glad to see you softening up. I missed that Jae Young.” The steam passed away from her glasses. A smile sat on her face. Jae Young returned it back. “When are you going to talk to uhmma and abba again?”

“Noona.” The smile quickly turned into something else. He wasn’t even sure what it was. “When are you going to stop asking me that?”

“When you finally talk to them again.” Even if she was trying to scold him, her voice still sang. Jae Young looked away and watched her cat. Mi Young sighed and sounds of her sipping on her coffee took over. “How is your girlfriend? Her name’s Eun Ji right?”

“Yeah.” The cat scurried under the table and sat by his foot. Looking up again to see her glasses fogged up. “She’s doing good.”

“Why didn’t you bring her over? I told you you could. I want to meet her.” The nagging was still sitting in front of her singing voice.

Jae Young chuckled into his mug. “I asked her if she wanted to but she didn’t seem to want to come.” Thinking back to a few weeks ago before vacation started. Eun Ji’s face of discomfort grazed by.

“You’re being good to her right? She seems so sweet.”

“She is sweet.” Swirling his mug around, the dark coffee began to spin. Lights bounced off creating the shiny surface. He could feel himself smiling into the cup.

Mi Young started to giggle. Jae Young’s thoughts were cut off. Looking up she had her hand covering her mouth with the mug sitting on the table. “Do you already miss her?”

Jae Young could feel his face heating up. “Noona!”

“You’re the one smiling at a cup of coffee thinking about your girlfriend.” Almost as if it knew, the cat crawled over and jumped onto the table. Mi Young continued giggling as she reached to get the cat off the table. “Don’t worry it’s only a two day one night trip. When you get back you can spend some extra time with her.” With that she winked at him.

“Oh my god.” His hands covered his face and pulled down on his cheeks. “Not you too noona.” Two days in a row someone has implied this.

“What?” The cat was put into her lap. “It’s normal for couples to want and do that stuff.”

“I’m going to ignore that and change the subject.” His eyes watched as the cat wiggled out and made her way over to his lap.

Mi Young sighed and pushed her glasses up. “Always so direct.” The two watched as the cat carefully laid down into Jae Young’s lap. Curling up into a ball and closing its eyes. “See she does like you.”

“I guess so.” Gently he scratched behind the cat’s ears. “How about you tell me about your life noona. You already can see mine on T.V. and online.”

“Jae Young please. I’d rather hear your life from you. But if you insist. Lately we’ve been researching about more efficient robotics.”

Mi Young continued explaining the robotics research she was apart of. The cat began purring in his lap. Occasionally his thoughts wandered around. Always coming back to hear Mi Young moving onto the next problem and solution.

* * *

Another restaurant that was too quiet. Eun Ji still couldn’t understand how it was possible every time she met Sang Wook for lunch. He’d explained it before but it was still astounding to her.

“So what are you doing on vacation?” Sang Wook began to pour two shot glasses.

“I don’t know. Just relaxing really.” The shot glass slid over to her. Eun Ji stared at the clear soju. “I never really have any plans other than to see you and stream.”

“Do you not plans things with… him.” The harsh cut of his voice hasn’t changed.

“W-we plan things. They’re not extravagant or anything.” Eun Ji picked up the shot and took a whiff. He had even paid extra for it to be strawberry flavored.

“Do you do those cheesy couple things during the holidays?”

Images of their attempt to do so last year popped up into her mind. Pushing the ball of string to the side. “We did last year. I don’t know about this year. We just kind of do things by ear.”

“You don’t do anything else with him?”

Eun Ji cocked her head. Anything else? What was that supposed to me- “Oppa!” Twice in less than a week. The string ball tangled even more.

Sang Wook slowly nodded at the answer. “Still no thoughts of breaking up with him?”

“Oppa!” She had shrieked without knowing it. “That’s mean!”

“You’re right it was. But he is too.” Sang Wook chuckled at himself. Eun Ji frowned at his answer. Raising his shot glass he stopped at the middle of the table and waited for hers. Eun Ji reluctantly raised the glass and clinked against his. “Well congratulations on another championship. You deserve it.”

A smile crept onto her face. “Thank you oppa.” With that Sang Wook took his shot and sipped it. Eun Ji took in a deep breath before sipping from her shot. It had been a while.

The server came back with a tray full of food. Sang Wook quickly shifted the conversation to something else. His voice was back to booming and filling up the whole room. The string ball rolled around some more. Eun Ji laughed as he told a story about his latest mishaps backstage. Pushing the ball away once more.

* * *

“What am I doing for vacation? Just what I usually do. Stream, eat, sleep, and sometimes go outside to meet family and friends.” Eun Ji tapped around picking Da Ji for the next game. She finally had a chance to play duel games again. “I do the same things most of you do on vacation.”

Jae Young peeked into the practice room. Eun Ji was still waiting in queue. He quickly shuffled away to put his bags away.

“Uh I picked Da Ji because I want to play all the nine tailed foxes. Show off who I personally think is the best fox.” The game loaded in and Eun Ji quickly opened the store and bought her items. “Because of being on a team it’s a lot harder for me to play duels. So a lot of these games are going to seem like everyone I verse is bad but it’s because I’m currently sitting at Platinum.” Da Ji ran around on screen. Eun Ji spammed her space bar. “Milk went on a two day one night trip to visit family that’s why he’s not here. My goal is to hit Grandmasters before the night ends. I want my exclusive skin.” A jingle played as a little animated strawberry danced on the screen. “Thank you to all the new subs! I don’t have a jingle for every new sub I get but I will be looking through later today and send a thank you afterwards!”

Quietly shuffling back, Jae Young stuck his head through the doorway. The game had started. She was already at red buff. If he came in now she would lose the fight and be mad at him. Waves cleared out and minions fell to the ground. Red buff dropped to the ground and the fox picked it up. Perfect plays as usual. Jae Young put his finger up to his lip and began to creep up behind her. Chat only sent a bunch of emotes.

“Anhur has been one of the most popular picks in duel since forever. Everyone knows how to play against him but at the same time people don’t know how to play against him.” Eun Ji continued to farm minions. “That goes for a lot of-”

“Wah!” Jae Young’s hands came down onto her shoulders and shook her.

Eun Ji screamed, jumping from her chair. Jae Young grabbed at his sides as he laughed. Taking a step back so the camera couldn’t properly capture his face. Eun Ji scrambled back to the keyboard and pressed B. Da Ji’s backing animation played out, landing back into the fountain. “I lost farm because of you!”

Jae Young collapsed into his chair still laughing. Eun Ji took in a deep breath and held it in. Taking a second to readjust herself. “You’ll be fine if you lose a few minions.”

“I didn’t lose a few minions. I lost triple buff control!” He could hear her fake annoyance. “Now I can’t beat the game in five minutes.”

Once his breathing returned to normal, Jae Young scooched over back into view of the camera. “Oh no now the great Strawberry will be two minutes late to getting into Grandmasters.”

“Hmph!” While still watching the screen, she turned her nose the other way.

“I’m gonna snipe you.” Jae Young rolled over and turned his PC on.

“What rank are you in duel right now?”

“I think I’m in plat.” Everything turned on illuminating his face. It didn’t take long to open the game and set up his stream. “Ok let’s see if I can stream snipe you.”

“Milk if you stream snipe me I’m gonna be so upset.”

“Battle over who’s the better duel player.”

“We can do that by setting up our own game.”

“But then I can’t get to Grandmasters.” Jae Young cracked his neck as the camera turned on. Viewer numbers jumped in seconds.

Eun Ji turned to face him and stuck her tongue out. “If you end up sniping me I’ll buy you a pack of any drink you want.”

“Nano Cola.”

“Oh my gosh we’re not sponsored by them.”

Jae Young watched waiting for her game to come close to ending. “Who sponsors us again?”

A snort came out from Eun Ji. “Milk our manager is going to call us tonight if you keep this up.”

The game ended and Jae Young waited for her to queue up again. Eun Ji squinted at him as she pressed queue. Chat was exploding on both sides. It was going to be an interesting afternoon.

* * *

Eun Ji collapsed into the couch. Taking a peek at her phone the time read nineteen. Her fingers felt numb. Crisscrossing them Eun Ji stretched out to listen to each finger crack. She didn’t want to do anything. Closing her eyes the string ball rolled back in. Bigger than before.

“So when are you buying me a pack of Nano Cola?” Jae Young’s body crashed into the couch sending hers up.

Eun Ji peeled her eyes open. Eyebrows scrunched together and her mouth frowned at him. “Jae Young…” In a second her body fell over and landed on top of his. “You’re so annoying sometimes.”

A huff of air left his nose. His arms wiggled under hers and pulled her up into his chest. “Missed you too.” Jae Young pressed his lips against her head. It felt warm.

“Did you have a good trip?” Eun Ji snuggled up as close as she could get.

“Yeah. Noona’s doing just fine. She got a cat since I last visited. She wouldn’t stop following me around the house.” His arms wrapped around her in a tight squeeze.

“Aw~ how cute.” She could feel her heartbeat going up into her throat. “You took pictures right?”

“Noona took them for me. Even a video of me playing with her cat.”

Eun Ji hoped he couldn’t feel her heart beginning to race. “Show me!” Turning her head up to look at him.

Jae Young smiled down at her. Leaning in to give a quick kiss on her lips. “I don’t have my phone with me right now. It’s charging.”

“Boo.” Eun Hi huffed and went back to cuddling into his chest. Jae Young chuckled as he went to kiss the top of her head again.

The two sat together in the empty living room. Only the light from a single lamp illuminated the room. Eun Ji closed her eyes again hoping to calm her heart down. The string ball rolled back and forth. It didn’t take long for her eyes to open up.

“Hey Jae Young.” Looking up she saw him sitting with his eyes closed. Her throat began to close up. Her heart was trying to rip out of her chest. “I have a question.”

“Hm?” His eyes blinked open. “What is it?”

Eun Ji didn’t know how to ask. The string just kept getting more and more tangled and the ball kept growing. She wanted it to go away. “Have…” Quickly she cleared her throat. She couldn’t breath. “Have you ever… Wanted to… Uh…” She was going to die. There was no way to hide anything. She could feel her heart jumping out of her chest. Jae Young patiently waited for her. A waiting smile rested on his face. “Do… anything more with… me?” Eun Ji could feel her face turning bright red.

Jae Young blinked a few times. Slowly his calm appearance changed. Pink blushed his cheeks. “Ah. Well- I-” His eyes darted away from hers. “Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“I- I- Well-” Her mind raced back to the past few days. “Pe-people keep asking and implying it to us. S- So it just stuck with me. And the thought didn’t go away even though I tried to ignore it and- I don’t know!”

“Well…” Jae Young’s eyes returned to look back at hers. “D-Do you want to?”

Eun Ji buried her face into her hands. “I-I don’t know.” She shouldn’t have asked. “I’ve never done anything like that.”

“Well…” She could feel him shifting his body. “We can’t do anything here. Even if we are the only ones in the house.”

Eun Ji felt her soul dropping into the ground. He wasn’t wrong. They would have to go to…

* * *

A love motel.

One queen size bed sat in the middle of the room. A couch with a giant T.V. covered one wall. A care package sat on the table. Cotton swabs, hair ties, and clips sat in one container. Eun Ji’s eyes followed down to see a box sitting in the other. A box of condoms. Her hands shot up to cover her face. She wanted to disappear.

The door cracked open and quickly shut. Jae Young shuffled back in and over to her. “So… They had orange juice downstairs and I grabbed two bottles.” The two bottles were carefully put on the table. She could hear his voice shaking. That was new. “Also I didn’t check in with anyone at the desk.” His scarf came down next to the orange juice. “And used a fake name. So you don’t have to worry about that part.”

Eun Ji could hear him shuffle away. The rustling of his coat being taken off and being hung on a coat hanger. Her heart was bursting out of her ears. Spreading her fingers she looked down at the orange juice. It wasn’t orange juice. The pink packaging had a small strawberry on it. In an instant her hand reached out and cracked the bottle open. She didn’t bother shaking it she just wanted to drink it.

“You know you’re supposed to shake it first.” Jae Young came back over pulling out the cushioned stool under the table. He sat down and watched her take gulps of the strawberry milk. “Eun Ji.”

The milk was gone. Everything was spinning.

“We don’t have to do anything.” His voice was so calm. Why?

“B-but you paid already.”

Jae Young covered his mouth as he snorted. “It didn’t cost that much.” His hand reached out and took hold of hers. “We could just sit here and watch a movie if you wanted to. Just don’t force yourself to do anything.”

Eun Ji finally looked over at him. His eyes sparkled from the lights bouncing off the crystal lamps. “I- I don’t know.” Eye contact didn’t last long as her eyes quickly fell to the floor. “Everything is a first for me so I don’t know.” She put the empty bottle back down on the table. Lightly wriggling her hand out from his grasp. Her head was spinning. Eun Ji turned and moved to the bed. Falling face first into it. The covers were cushy.

“Then why come out here? You could have waited until you knew.” Nothing about his voice was sharp but the words stung.

“Be-because. It’s not like I can just… Try at the house.”

Silence. Eun Ji sighed into the sheets. Why didn’t she just know?

“Eun Ji.” His voice was closer now. “Sit up.”

Her head turned to the side to see Jae Young sitting next to her on the bed. His face was still. Eun Ji slowly pushed herself up to sit on the bed. “Jae Young. I won’t get upset but…” She swallowed the air sitting in her mouth. “Have you done this before?”

Jae Young’s eyes popped for a second. “I- ah well…” His eyes looked away. “It was a long time ago so…”

Eun Ji covered her face again. She really was the one who was new to everything. “S-so you know how to do these kinds of things.”

“Well I mean I guess but it’s been a really long time and-” Peeking through her fingers she could see his face blushed. “I mean you can think of it as if I was new.”

“What that’s not how it works!”

“Well kind of. It’s like gaming. You lose your skill over time if you don’t…”

The air she was breathing got hot. “P-practice.” She watched as Jae Young lightly tapped his face. This was new. Eun Ji had never seen him so flustered before. “S-so what’s supposed to happen?”

“Ah well that’s not- I mean- It just kind of happens-”

“Wh-what does that mean?!” The ball kept growing.

“No I mean-” Jae Young suddenly turned to face her. His hands pulled her hands down from her face. “L-let’s try this first.”

Jae Young’s hands cupped her face and pulled her in. Their lips met together in a rush. Eun Ji felt her heart pumping. His lips pushed up against hers as he took in a deep breath. She could feel her teeth against her lips. Slowly his mouth opened up and parted their lips. Eun Ji sharply inhaled through her nose. Jae Young tenderly sucked on her bottom lip briefly pulling away for a second before coming back in. Heat rose in her gut. Her shoulders fell and her hands relaxed onto his arms. Something rubbed against her teeth, pushing them open. His tongue slipped into her mouth. Now his touch took hold of her top lip. Eun Ji couldn’t stop gasping. Over and over he kissed her. Her hands reached out and wrapped around his neck. Finally returning the kiss back. Jae Young gently bit her bottom lip and slowly pulled away. Eun Ji couldn’t breath. The heat spread all over her body. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Jae Young kissed her forehead and dropped his hands from her chin. “So…”

Eun Ji couldn’t think. Everything was a blur. It wasn’t like the movies or dramas. The books she had read were all wrong. Nothing smelled sweet and nothing tasted like honey. Unlinking her hands, Eun Ji let them drape down his back. Her arms moved her face back to his. “I…” What was there to say?

“Yeah?”

In a swift motion Eun Ji pulled Jae Young back in. Their lips locking together. A hand rubbed up and down her back as another grabbed the back of her head. His arms pulled her in closer. The string began to slowly untangle and fall apart.

* * *

“What are you thinking about?” Jae Young crawled onto the bed and sat behind her. His hands squeezed her shoulders.

Eun Ji turned around with a smile. “Nothing.” Tilting her head up she gave him a quick kiss.

“Don’t lie to me.” His hands fell down her arms and around her waist. “You have that goofy smile on your face.” His lips gently kissed her cheek.

“You’re just drunk.” Eun Ji giggled as he continued to kiss her.

“You’re the one who tied your hair up.” Jae Young travelled down her cheek and onto her neck. Eun Ji wasn’t giggling anymore. Instead a soft whimper escaped her lips. Stopping for a second he adjusted himself to sit with his legs around her. “You must be really bothered to tie your hair up in public.” His tongue traced around her neck with lips sucking at her.

Eun Ji opened her mouth to respond but only let in a sharp inhale. Her heart began to race as her body began to relax. “Ah!”

Jae Young went up and bit her ear. She could hear him chuckling. His hands moved from her waist and up to her chest. “Come one tell me what you were thinking about.”

Her breathing became heavy. “How am I supposed to tell you now?”

“Hmm you’re right.” Jae Young pulled back. “How rude of me.” His hands ran through her hair. “So what were you thinking about?”

Eun Ji turned around and sat up on her knees. “I know you don’t want to hear it right now. I was thinking about our first time.”

“Oh my god.” Jae Young reached out and pulled her back down. Moving her legs to wrap around him.

“What~?” Eun Ji ran her fingers through his hair. “We were cute.”

“You were the one freaking out.”

“You were too silly.” Eun Ji put her arms down around his neck. “Don’t act like you weren’t.”

Jae Young huffed out of his nose with a smirk. “I liked it better when you couldn’t talk.” Going back into her neck, he returned to tracing with his tongue.

“Ah!” Eun Ji pulled herself closer to him. His hands slipped under her shirt and rubbed her bare back. Shivers climbed down her spine. She wanted more.


	12. First Time part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not necessary for the story. It steps into an R rating so please feel free to skip.

Eun Ji didn’t want him to stop kissing him. Their tongues locked with each other only to be pulled away each second. Her body was heating up, burning the insides. Jae Young pulled back again. His hand still running through her hair and down her back. Without a word he went and kissed her cheek. Each kiss tender to the touch. They moved down onto her neck. Eun Ji gasped as the kisses pushed against her neck. His tongue began to swirl and dance around. “Mmm!” His teeth gently ran against her skin up to her ear. As he nibbled on her ear a moan escaped her lips.

Hearing her moan caused Jae Young to chuckle. “How was that?” Pulling away to look at her. A smile was beaming at her.

Eun Ji could only stare back with her mouth gaping.

“Did you like it?” His hands pushed her hair back. Eun Ji slowly nodded.

“I’m… I’m going to get a hair tie…” Eun Ji slid off the bed and shuffled over to the table. Reaching for the container she grabbed the hair tie that sat there. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

Before she could turn back, Jae Young came up behind her. Kissing the back of her neck. “Fuck…”

“Huh? Wha-what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just…” She could feel him taking a deep breath. Something hard was rubbing against her. “Really want you.” His lips came down kissing her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Uh Jae Young.” Eun Ji whimpered as he sucked on her neck. “I don’t mean to say anything weird. But-” Suddenly her knees buckled together. A low moan slipped out her lips. He was kissing right under her ear. Tenderly sucking as his tongue swirled around. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore.

Jae Young slowly pulled away to help her stand up. “Careful. You might fall.” With his arms under her arms, he walked her back to the bed.

She reached out and sat herself down. “Th-that’s your fault.” Eun Ji was dripping. Her sweater was soaked already. “I…” Her head fell into her hands. “Jae Young can you turn around?” His weight plopped down onto the bed. Eun Ji looked over to his back facing her. Taking in a gulp of air she carefully curled the bottom of her sweater up. Slipping the sweater up over her head. It fell into her lap drenched. The red on her face doubled. There was no way she could do this. Eun Ji turned around with her sweater still dangling from her arms. “Jae Young…” Pulling up her knees to her chest, she rested her face in them. “I-”

A warm hand touched her shoulder. Shudders went up and down her spine. “Eun Ji. I told you not to force yourself. We don’t have to do anything el-”

“But I want this!”

The room stood still. The hand jumped off her shoulder. Eun Ji buried her face farther away. Why did she have to yell that? Why didn’t she just know things from the start? Why was it so hard to just look up? Why couldn’t she just-

Jae Young’s arms wrapped around her. His bare chest pressed against her back. Nerves danced up and down. She could feel him laughing. “Eun Ji.” His chin rested against her neck. “You’re going to hate me but what do you want?” Eun Ji could feel herself curling up more and more. “How far do you want to go?”

Why were there so many questions? She could only mumble under her breath.

“I can’t hear you.” His teeth went back to her ear. Nibbling at her earlobe.

“I said…” Eun Ji finally turned her head to meet Jae Young’s eyes. “You try something…”

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Ok but you have to promise me you’ll tell me to stop if you don’t like it.”

Eun Ji slowly nodded. “I… I promise…”

“Good.” Jae Young unwrapped his arms from around her. She could hear him rustling around.

Suddenly his hands reached for her shoulders and pulled her back. Eun Ji fell back into his embrace. His bare legs wrapped around her. Before Eun Ji could ask, his hands ran up her back. A gentle tug on her bra as his fingers slipped under the straps. Travelling down to the cups. Jae Young came in and kissed her shoulder. His hands cupping over her covered breasts. The fire in her gut grew. Through her shut lips Eun Ji couldn’t stop whimpering. “Stop holding back.” Jae Young’s teeth bit into her neck. His hands squeezing her breasts. Eun Ji squirmed under his arms trying to take in gasps of air. “I want to hear you.” Lips grazed her ear whispering into it. His hands went back up and around her straps. The clasps came undone one by one until the elastic loosened.

Eun Ji looked down as the bra fell from her, landing into her hands. Picking up her bra she turned her head to try and catch Jae Young’s face. “Wait wha ah!” His hands moved up her bare chest and squeezed her breasts. Fingers danced around her nipples. Eun Ji’s legs squirmed crossing her knees together. His tongue travelled from one side of her neck to the other. The room was spinning. Her mouth dropped open letting out a high pitched moan.

“That’s better.” Jae Young kept his fingers busy. The panting grew as he caressed different spots on her neck, back, and breasts. One hand began to go down her chest lightly touching her stomach. Lightly dragging his fingers down against her crawling farther and farther. Eun Ji covered her mouth as a high pitched squeal burst out. “Why’d you do that? I wanted to hear you.” Jae Young’s low voice slid through her ears. Both hands stepped around undoing the button and pulling the zipper down her pants. Eun Ji’s hot breath started to suffocate her lungs as his fingers started stroking her. The fire burst melting her inside. Lava bubbled deep down. The loosened band was pushed down from her waist. His thumb came around and slipped the pants from under her butt. Jae Young’s breath brushed against the back of her neck as he chuckled. “Cute underwear.” He attacked her ear, sucking at the lobe. Biting her lips together, she held back any cry that bubbled in her throat. The waist of her pants rested at her knees. His fingers pressed up against the soaked cotton. “Eun Ji.” Jae Young’s hand reached up and took hold of her makeshift mask. His fingers laced around hers. Slowly he brought her hands down from her face and pressed them against her chest. “You’re going to miss out if you keep holding back.”

The words barely made it through her ears. Pants from whimpering flowed out from her mouth. “J-Jae Young…” Every part of her body shook. “I…” High pitched squeals took over the words. His lips returned to her neck with his tongue leading the path. The fingers stroking her travelled up to the band of her underwear. Eun Ji gasped. Her back arching as his fingers stroked her bare skin. Stirring the juices that had gathered. The whimpering pushed past her throat growing louder and louder. Jae Young grunted as he pulled his hips closer. Lips still sucking at her neck as the other hand began to fondle her breasts. Eun Ji couldn’t think with every touch tenderly grabbing at her senses. Jae Young’s hot breath took over her neck, burning into her. His body slowly rolling against her back. Lips were pulled and parted by his hand as a finger welcomed itself into her. Waves of lava lapped from her toes up to her head. Each new one crashing down harder and harder.  Whimpers turned into deeper moans as it slipped in and out. Another finger slid in next pushing in and out. New waves began shocking every nerve running in her body. “Ah~! Jae Young!” The lumped bubbles burst as she cried out. Every inch of her body shook as the fire burst out. His grip around her tightened sending his vibrations throughout her body.

Pools of lava sank back as it cooled down. The room stopped spinning. Eun Ji blinked to clear the fog from her eyes. Jae Young slipped his hand out from her underwear. His grip loosening around her. “How was that?” Gently kissing the back of her head. The palms of his hands caressed her arms down over her legs.

Eun Ji slowly relaxed her back, resting into his chest. “I…” Her mouth hung open for a bit. Turning her head up she locked eyes with Jae Young. His soft eyes and kind smile radiated back. “It-” Eun Ji covered her face to hide the red blushing her cheeks. Jae Young chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “It felt good…” Mumbling the words through her breath.

“That’s good.” His arms draped around her. Lightly holding onto her. Eun Ji closed her eyes waiting for the red to fade away.

“W-wait.” Her legs shook as she sat up. “Wh-what about you?” Turning around so quickly the messy ponytail gently smacked Jae Young’s face. Her knees collapsed under her as she tried to sit up.

Jae Young reached out grabbing onto her shoulders to stop her falling. “What do you mean?” His eyebrows furrowed together.

“I- I mean- F-for you. I- I-” The shaking took over her heart. Blood raced around through her veins.

“Well… Don’t worry about it.” Gently he pushed her down, seating her down on the bed.

“But! Th-that wouldn’t be fair!”

A snort escaped through his nose with a half smile. “Really Eun Ji you don’t have to worry about it.”

“But!”

“I… Can’t really right now…” His eyes darted away.

“Huh?” Eun Ji rubbed her hands on top of his. Lacing her fingers through his. “What do you mean?”

“Aaaah…” As he blinked his eyes came back to meet with hers. “It’s… Been a really long time…”

The words didn’t add up together. Her thoughts still hazed.

“Did… You bring an extra pair of underwear?”

The red was creeping back up her face. Without thinking her eyes fell down to take a look. Before they could get to where she wanted, they stopped. Jae Young quickly brought his legs from around her and crossed them in front of him. “If you didn’t… I brought an extra of my boxers… Well an extra extra...”

Eun Ji blinked at the now partially hidden wet spot. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth. Giggles bubbled up and popped in her mouth. Laughs hiccupped out of Jae Young. Eun Ji couldn’t hold back. Laughter exploded from her lungs. Her arms shot out and wrapped around Jae Young. Knocking down Jae Young as they fell into the bed. She buried her face into his chest as laughter popped from her lungs. Their bare skin brushing against each other. She could feel his chuckles escaping as well.

“Hey,” Jae Young nuzzled his nose against her forehead. “Do you want to shower?”

Eun Ji closed her eyes as he gently kissed her face. “Mmm… I should…”

“How about together?”

A snort left through her nose before she could catch it. She placed her palm into his face and pushed it back. “No way not today.”

His lips pressed against her palm as his hands playfully pushed her off the bed. “Then hurry up and shower first.”

Eun Ji giggled as she slid off the bed. Crawling up from the floor waiting as her legs began to cooperate. Without thinking her arms crossed over her chest. Taking a peak she saw Jae Young’s back on the bed. Maybe next time…

* * *

The bell rang as the door slid open. Eun Ji hopped into the familiar landing. Nerves stood up on her skin. It was weird being here without Jae Young. The elevator doors opened as the woman’s voice announced the floor. Eun Ji pressed the number eighteen and waited for the ascent.

A ding played as the elevator came to a slow onto the eighteenth floor. No one greeted her. Eun Ji took a deep breath and shuffled over to the door. Before she could ring the doorbell the door swung open. A short haired, slender figure greeted her. “Wow you really did show up.” Soo Jin glanced at her briefly.

“Yeah… I did…” Eun Ji nodded her head. Carefully stepping into the apartment. It all felt so empty.

“Part of me didn’t think you really meant it.” Her back faced Eun Ji in a swift turn. “But then again, you’ve never not done something you said you would.” Soo Jin made her way to the kitchen. Eun Ji slipped her shoes off and followed. A plate of fruit sat on the kitchen table. “Don’t worry we’re the only ones here. Made sure of that.”

Eun Ji nodded and sat herself down. Two forks rested beside the plate. “So do you and Sung Jin really live together?”

Soo Jin arrived to the table with two mugs and several bags of tea and coffee. “Technically. This is my apartment but he floats between home and here with work and such. He’s at home for a week so you’re text was pretty well timed. So,” She sat down in the chair across from her. Her hand already holding her head up. “Why did you come today?”

“Um…” The red was already seeping up her face. It was burning. “So… I didn’t really know who else to ask about this. I don’t have a lot of friends who I could go to… Well I don’t have a lot of friends in general but-”

“Is this about sex?”

Eun Ji’s hands were already covering her face. There was no hiding.

“Ok give me one second.” The chair creaked as she scooched it back. Eun Ji peaked to see her grabbing a pot of boiling water. The sound of the mugs being filled took over. “I don’t know what kind of coffee or tea you like so just pick something. It’s going to be really hard to talk about this if you’re already this tense.”

Looking down she could see all the bags laid out in front of her. Ripping open a bag of bori-cha. Without thinking the bag dropped into the hot water.

“Hey before I say anything else.” Soo Jin returned to her seat. Eun Ji had her hands now cupped around the hot mug. “I didn’t realize that you were so… shy about that topic. Sorry for trying to pry into your life about it when you were here last time.”

“Oh…” Eun Ji looked up to see her head resting back into her cupped hand. It was hard to tell what her face was saying. “It’s ok. I know you were trying to tease Jae Young.”

Soo Jin only shrugged. “I still feel bad about it.” A pause grew between them. No matter how hard she looked, Eun Ji couldn’t figure her out. “Anyways, without me prying, why are you coming to talk to me about this? I feel like I’m the worst candidate.”

“Well…” The mug was still too hot. Her eyes watched the brown water steaming. “My other options were no good. I don’t want other people in the house to think anything else about us. Other pro players aren’t as trustworthy. Especially Tae Yeon. She would be no help at all. And my oppa still hates Jae Young so if I asked him about it he might kill him.”

“Hm…”

“Plus I… I know you’re pretty close with Jae Young and wouldn’t think of us any differently and wouldn’t be telling other people about this so…” Slowly she lifted her head up. The expression on her face changed. “You seemed to be the best person to ask.”

Soo Jin nodded for a bit. Twirling the spoon in her mug around. “Well you’re right that I wouldn’t think any differently. I literally had a banger like three days ago.” Eun Ji resisted the urge to cover her face up. “I won’t tell anyone about this so just try and relax. What do you want to know?”

“Ah… Well…” The mug was finally cool enough to touch. “Truthfully… I don’t know a lot… Actually I don’t know anything beyond health class.”

“The dick goes up into the pussy and if you don’t have a condom you’re screwed. In a different way.”

Eun Ji held back every urge to yelp. Her lungs were going to burst.

“I’m guessing you want to know what happens before that.”

She didn’t give an answer. The only thing she could do was sip her tea.

“Ok then.” Soo Jin rolled her neck around. “I’m just going to give you a really basic run down. It’s a lot of kissing and touching. Like all over. Lips, neck, chest, boobs, nipples, stomach, and depending on who you’re kissing a penis or a vagina. Do that for like… I don’t know if you’re in a rush for a few minutes if you really wanna drag it out for like an hour. Lots of hands going to a lot of places. And once you’re ready you pop on a condom and then spend about two minutes doing actual sex.”

Her hands still ended up covering her face. It wasn’t even detailed.

“Are you blushing because what I said just makes you embarrassed or because you’re picturing yourself?”

How was she supposed to answer that? Eun Ji couldn’t think of anything. Her mind felt blank with only dips of pink invading from her face.

“Did you two ever do anything before?”

Thoughts from a week ago flashed through her mind. “K-kind of…”

Soo Jin’s eyebrows lifted up. “What do you mean by kind of?”

“It… Wasn’t much…”

“Hmm…” A long sip from her mug took over Eun Ji’s ears.

The silence began to dig into her back. “I… We… didn’t even…” Her voice shrank back into her throat. “See… each other…” The tea sat still with steam no longer rising from the mug. Eun Ji pulled her legs up to her chest. Burying her face into knees as she hugged her legs closer.

“Ok.” Soo Jin put her mug down. “Why are you trying to do something you’re clearly uncomfortable with?”

The words stung into her ears. “I…” She could feel her heart racing her thoughts. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?”

Eun Ji buried her face farther away. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I’m supposed to date someone. Jae Young’s my first for everything and he’ll probably be the only one. I just don’t know the answer to anything.”

“Well.” The chair moved under her. Eun Ji looked down to see Soo Jin moving the chair forward with her feet from under the table. “I can give you some things you do know.” Slowly she lifted her head to look back at Soo Jin. “You two have been dating for two years now but have essentially been together for five years. Yeah the first few were really rough but you can’t build relationships without any hardships. You might think it’s only been five years but you two spend almost every day together. That’s more time than most people spend time with their best friend.” Each word pulled apart Eun Ji’s tight knots. The grip around her legs loosened as her head lifted back up. “I haven’t personally known you as long as Jae Young but I can see that he’s changed a lot over the past five years. Seriously he basically stopped smiling by the time he was eighteen. And behind the scenes he’s asked us for relationship help all the way back to 2070. Not necessarily romantic at the time but we could tell he wanted to help you even if he asked us while pounding down three beers and crushing them with his bare hands.”

The words caused a giggle to fly out of Eun Ji. Picturing him from four years ago was so odd. It was almost cute now.

“And trust me when I say this. I have never seen him as happy as he is now when he’s with you.” Soo Jin sipped her tea before continuing. “I’m sure you might not want to hear about this stuff or maybe you don’t care. Jae Young doesn’t talk about his past romantic relationships so you probably don’t know a lot.” Eun Ji had pulled her legs down to crossing them over on the chair. The pounding against her ears made it hard to hear. “But the last person he dated was before he debuted. It was really bad. Not just on one side but for both sides. He actually had a lot leading up to his last one. Mostly for image at school. I can guarantee you none of those people meant anything to him. The time spent with them was meaningless.”

Blood calmed down in her veins. Slowing down into a gentle flow.

“I’m sure he briefly mentioned that he’s had sexual relations before to you. You can’t exactly ignore that stuff when it’s your first time. Hell I still tell people I’m going out with that I have been. That stuff is kind of important.” Eun Ji’s breathing returned back to normal. Even if the next set of words were upsetting. All the knots were untying. “I don’t know what sex means to you. For me it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just fun. For some people it means a lot. For others it’s a mixture of both. But I promise you that Jae Young’s previous relationships were none of the above. Most people would be excited to have I don’t know… an hour of being naked around someone you like and touching them. He literally did things out of just trying to appear like a “normal” person. The way he dressed, the way he acted, the way he pretended to spend hours of studying when it was really just training, the way he dated certain people, and on and on and on.” Soo Jin’s eyes rolled around. There was a smirk on her face. “He was a stupid asshole who hurt others to get what he wanted. But now…” Their eyes locked onto each other. Soo Jin’s digging into Eun Ji’s mind. “He’s still an asshole. I don’t think he can stop being one. At least he’s being himself. And with someone he genuinely cares about. Everything and anything he does with you is out of purely wanting to be with you. Like how he went to go see that stupid movie he didn’t care about but you wanted to see it.”

That day was just a few days ago. She could tell he was reluctant about going to watch it. “Yeah… He actually reserved tickets for us the day after I mentioned wanting to watch it.”

Soo Jin cleared her throat. Putting a fist up to her mouth as it covered up her grin. “God you two are so sweet. He used my rewards card for that like a cheap bastard. Reserving fucking love seats at the back of the theater. Disgusting.”

Eun Ji felt a warm pink blushing her cheeks. More giggles popped from her mouth.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is…” Soo Jin was back to resting her face into one hand. “I think you do know the answers to questions you have. You’re just afraid.”

The bori-cha sat still. Cold from sitting alone for so long. Eun Ji looked down into the brown water. The words Soo Jin said played over and over. “Maybe…” Her hands cupped around the mug and picked it up. The sip was refreshing.

“Also. I can guarantee you that if you want him to, Jae Young will absolutely pleasure you into next week.” Eun Ji choked as the tea lodged into her throat. Coughing up what went down the wrong pipe. “Just because it meant nothing to him doesn’t mean he didn’t learn anything.” Soo Jin smirked as she watched her cough, sipping at her own tea. “Oh yeah and don’t forget to do the same. Guys and girls are all the same. If you do something he does to you, I’m sure he’ll go absolutely crazy. Like ear biting. Try that one for sure.”

Eun Ji continued to cough up the tea. Gently grasping at her chest as she reached for a tissue to cover her mouth. Her face was bright red. Looking over to Soo Jin as she watched with a smirk.

* * *

The house sat still. The news flashed onto the T.V. More stuff about the holidays and the different activities happening around the city. Jae Young looked down at his phone. Twenty one o’clock. Slowly he sank further into the couch and closed his eyes. Tapping the side of the arm to pull out the reclining leg rest. Before he could tune out the noise, shuffling of feet approached. No one was supposed to be he-

“Son of a-” A body crashed onto him. His eyes flew open to see a bundle of hair on his chest.

“Sorry.” Eun Ji’s voice mumbled into his chest. She shook her head to move her hair and looked up. “I just… missed you.” Her arms wrapped around his neck. Reaching up and kissed him on the cheek.

Jae Young chuckled as he pulled her up to rest her between his legs. “You’ve only been away from me for less than twenty four hours.” Eun Ji curled up into a ball. Resting her head in his chest. She was oddly close. “Where were you today anyways?”

“Ah… Well…” The blanket that was on the side slowly began to cover her. “Truthfully I went to see Soo Jin today.”

Soo Jin? Why would she go to see Soo Jin unless- “I thought you were too afraid to go by yourself.” The blanket consumed her with only the top of her head popping out. Jae Young could feel his face flush.

“Well… She always says to visit more often. So I decided to visit her before Christmas.”

None of that was convincing. Jae Young sat upright as a small fire burned in his gut. “Was Sung Jin there?” He already knew the answer to that question.

“No. It was just us two girls.” Finally she looked up at him. A smile sat on her face. “She’s really nice one on one. It was nice and quiet today. Unlike when we go visit them.”

Jae Young tapped the side panel to pull in the recliner. The couch pushed him more upright. Eun Ji didn’t flinch. Only moving her head to follow his chest. The blood from his face sank away. “Well then.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his body. “I’m glad you found your time with Soo Jin fun and peaceful.”

“Mhm!” Her eyes were closed now. Quietly resting against him. Jae Young could see her pulling strings around.

“So…” Bringing his legs up to cross them around Eun Ji. His face coming down to kiss the top of her head. “What did you two do?”

She giggled at the light smooch. “Mmm… We drank tea and talked. That’s really it.”

That answer would have to suffice. It didn’t take much to see through her words. “Ok. I’m glad you had fun.”

The two sat together as the news anchors continued talking. Occasionally he would hear snippets about pop culture and the situation at the southern waters. Jae Young slid his head down to her shoulder and turned to kiss her cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“Hmm?” Eun Ji kept looking forward at the T.V. Her eyes slightly glazed from staring for so long.

“What are you thinking about?”

She chewed on the question for a second too long. “Nothing much.”

“Can I guess what you’re thinking about or should I tell you what I’m thinking about?” Tightening the grip he had around her.

Eun Ji leaned back into him as his wrapped arms tightened. “What are you thinking about?”

Jae Young kissed her cheek again. “I’m thinking about how much closer I can get to you.” The soft kisses travelled up her cheek brushing his lips to her ear. “I’m wondering,” biting at her ear he could hear a sharp inhale. “When I’ll be able to learn,” He gently sucked on her ear before moving down to the spot on her neck right under her ear. “About every single centimeter of your body.” As he pushed his lips against her, Jae Young’s hand shot up to cover her mouth. A high pitched whimper muffled behind his hand. Eun Ji’s back arched forward as he continued lightly sucking at her neck. “When will I be able to?” Running his tongue down her neck and reaching his lips down to her collar bone. Jae Young pulled her closer tightening the wrapped arm around her waist.

Saliva ran down his hand. Jae Young slowly lifted the hand covering her mouth. Kissing up to her chin, Jae Young pulled back to look at Eun Ji’s face. Her mouth gaping open with a slight glaze over her eyes. Blinking a few times her eyes focused onto his. Without a word her hands slipped up around his cheeks and pulled him in. Her lips pushing up against his. Jae Young felt air rush in through his nose. As quickly as she kissed him, she quickly pulled back. Her lips brushed up against his nose. “How about tonight?”

Jae Young could feel his eyes pop out of their sockets. “What?”

* * *

The lights burst on in the motel room. A similar set up to the last one but a different location. It didn’t have to be fancy. People just needed it to be cheap. Jae Young took a quick look around the room. Taking his jacket off and tossing it over on the couch that sat at the side of the room. “Eun Ji are you-” As he turned around her body crashed into his. Smashing her lips up against his. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she reached up on her toes. Eun Ji slowly pulled his bottom lip down. He could feel her heart racing against his chest. “Eun Ji-” Before another word could pass, she pressed her lips back up against his. The weight of her pushing against him caused his feet to stumble back.

His heels hit the back of the bed and soon his behind fell into the mattress. Teeth lightly bit down on his lower lip. Sparks traveled up his spine. Eun Ji pulled back slowly finally meeting eye to eye. Jae Young put his hands on her shoulders to push her down onto his lap. “Eun Ji are you ok?”

Eun Ji’s eyes blinked a few times before she buried her head into his shoulder. Her legs wrapped around him as her arms slipped under his arms. “Well…” The mumbling of her voice tickled him. “I just wanted…”

Jae Young pulled his face back. Running his fingers through her hair to push it away. “Wanted what?” Her eyes darted away from his. Jae Young couldn’t help but chuckle. “Eun Ji,” gently kissing her forehead, “I already told you this. Don’t force yourself to do some-”

“I’m not!” Her voice shook Jae Young’s chest. “I’m really not…” Eun Ji’s eyes slowly met his. “I just wanted… to try… And you’re the only person I would want to try with…”

The words shot through his gut. Jae Young felt the flush reach his cheeks and legs.

Eun Ji pulled herself in to embrace him. “I really mean that.”

Without a pause Jae Young rolled Eun Ji onto the bed. Her eyes popped wide open as he slowly pressed himself down against her. All the small tingles and sparks sped through every centimeter of his body. Jae Young brushed his lips against her cheek before planting a kiss on her nose. He could feel her heart pounding as he lay on her. “Are you sure you mean it?”

The tense knot once in her eyes had unravelled. Eun Ji slipped her arms around his neck. Gently combing her fingers through the back of his hair. “Yes.” Not a single stutter fell from her mouth.

Sparks flew down his spine building up electricity as he ran his hands up her arms to hold her hands. Quickly interlocking their fingers only to push them above her head onto the bed. “Are you sure?” Jae Young leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Because you’re going to stay up all night.” Following her cheekbones down to bite on her neck.

Eun Ji’s muffled groan tickled his ear. He wanted more. Slowly letting his tongue take as much of her neck. The sharp gasp energized the sparks. “I-” Words cut off as a soft, long moan spilled out from her mouth. “I…” She quickly gasped for air. “I really want you to-” More words cut off as another moan slipped.

The answer was enough for Jae Young. Moving his mouth to meet hers. “Then I guess I’ll give you what you want.”


	13. A Makeover

Hana opened her eyes to water rushing. Yuna stood in front of the mirror washing her face in the sink. Picking up her phone to look at the time.

Nine.

“Oh shit!” Throwing the covers off of herself. “I’m going to be late!” Scurrying over to the sink to join Yuna.

“Late to what?” Yuna stepped to the side as Hana reached for the water.

Only a few splashes and soap would help now. “I told Eun Ji unnie I would give her a makeover today.” Throwing an arm out to reach for a towel only to knock over some makeup.

Yuna sighed stepping away from the counter. “Hana… Did you confirm a time or did you forget that again?”

“I totally confirmed a time!” Hana skipped over to her phone to check Kakao for any messages. “I texted unnie last night before I left the arcade.” Scrolling down past several unread chats before reaching Eun Ji’s. “See I-”

Unread.

Hana hung her head in defeat. “Unnie didn’t see my message…” All that panic for no reason. “Maybe I’ll call her…” Quietly shuffling back to the sink looking at the small yellow one next to her message.

Yuna picked up her cushion. “She’s probably sleeping still after last night.”

“Why would she still be sleeping?” Hana grabbed her facial wash. There was now time for a proper morning routine. “Not seeing the clock read five scared me.”

The cushion in Yuna’s hand stopped mid pat. She turned her head and shot a look at Hana. “Are you dumb?” She turned back to finish applying her cushion. “They totally did it last night. Just let her respond to you when she wakes up.”

“And what if it’s something else?” Hana rubbed the wash all over her face.

“What else could have possibly happened?”

“Well…”

* * *

 

Eun Ji slowly blinked at the sun peeking through the blinds. Jae Young’s arm gently lay across her body. Slowly she turned towards the bedside to read the clock.

Nine thirty.

As she lifted herself Jae Young’s hand gripped her arm. Pulling her back down next to him. “Good morning.” His voice mumbled under his breath. “Where are you going?”

“Good morning to you too.” Giving a kiss on his nose. “I’m getting my phone.”

“Why?” Jae Young kissed her back.

“Remember when Hana said she wanted to give me a makeover? I want to check if she was being serious.” His grip loosened up allowing Eun Ji to crawl up to the side table. The screen was littered with unread messages. Opening up Kakao showed a long list of chats with red bubbles. Knowing she would have read all of them was dreadful. Eun Ji searched for Hana to see one new message.

“Unnie should we meet around eleven tomorrow? We can grab coffee!”

Eun Ji typed up a response. The bed shifted behind her. Jae Young’s arms reached out and wrapped around her. “So what did she say?” His bare chest pressed against her back.

Frowning at her message, Eun Ji erased what she wrote. “She said before lunch time… But I’m going to be late.” Quickly she typed up a new message. “I have to shower, put on makeup, get dressed, and-”

“Spend more time with me.” His embrace around her tightened.

The words made Eun Ji laugh “You’re so cheesy.” Falling back into him and pressing send. “I’ll just have to rush a little.”

“Are you seriously going?” Jae Young’s sharp voice cut through her ears.

“Yeah… It can’t be too bad.” Eun Ji gently push Jae Young’s arm down. “It’ll be a nice change.” With his grip loosened she slid off the bed and walked to the sink. “I kind of miss shopping.”

Jae Young groaned as he got off the bed. “I think you’re forgetting that Hana is really impulsive. Especially when she’s excited.” He stood next to her at the sink and turned the water on. “It’ll be different from shopping with Kyu Won or any of the other girls from the team.”

“I… I know that.” She could feel her heart beginning to sink. Maybe it was a bad idea. She lightly bit down the inside of her cheek.

“I’m sorry.” The words mixed with his low voice. “I’m just worried.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Just have fun ok?”

Eun Ji let go of her cheek to smile. “I will.”

* * *

 

“And then she finally gets to bed after saving Choryang dong!” Hana struck a pose with eyeliner in hand. The only thing left was to change.

Yuna sighed as she pulled a shirt on. “Did you really spend an hour and a half telling me some story you made up?” Walking over to check the mirror for her hair.

“It killed time didn’t it?” Hana capped the eyeliner and hopped onto the bed. A new message from Eun Ji. “She replied!”

Swiping her phone open to check the full message. Yuna shuffled over and peeked. “What did she say?”

“Sorry I’m reading this late! I went to bed as soon as I got to the hotel. I can meet you at eleven in the lobby.”

Yuna snorted. “She’s totally lying about going to bed right away.”

Hana couldn’t hear her. She quickly typed up a response. “Unnie wanna go to this cafe Tae Yeon unnie told me about?”

“Now?”

“Yeah! I just told Eun Ji unnie to meet me there whenever she’s ready.” Jumping off the bed Hana reached out for her bag and began digging. “I need something cute yet comfortable.”

Yuna shrugged with a smile. “Yeah I’ll join. I can’t turn down a good cafe.”

The answer filled Hana with glee. Today was going to be great.

* * *

 

Tae Yeon sipped her coffee as she waited for Dae Sung. Turning to the right she could see him strolling up to the door. The bell rang as he stepped in. Tae Yeon put her coffee down, glaring at him. “You said ten minutes twenty minutes ago.”

Looking at him head to toe answered why he was so late. Always so chic and putting effort into his look. Dae Sung rolled his eyes as he plopped down in the seat across from her. “Sweety it takes time to look this good.” He grabbed her coffee and took a sip. “Besides, you’re also late. I said we should leave at eight today and it’s currently eleven. By the time we get there it’s going to be lunch.”

The urge to hit him was growing. “Ok I guess we both suck.”

The doorbell rang again. Tae Yeon looked up to see Hana and Yuna enter. “Oh hey she took my suggestion.”

Dae Sung turned around to see them. “You told them to come here?”

“Of course I did. I told a lot of people. I know Sun Hee and Young Hwa came here in the morning.” Tae Yeon waved at Hana.

“How do you know they came here?” Dae Sung turned back squinting at her.

“Because Sun Hee told me she was here in the morning.”

Hana was already at their table. “Unnie, oppa, what’s up?”

“You really took my suggestion for this cafe?” Tae Yeon took her cup back from Dae Sung.

“Of course I did! You always know the best places unnie!” Her smile was too bright.

A short pause took over between the four of them. Dae Sung loudly sighed as he got out of his chair. “Let’s go. We’re already stupid late.”

“Have fun.” Yuna gave a small wave as the two left.

The doorbell rang as the door open and shut. Tae Yeon sipped her coffee as they headed towards the station. “I thought you were over it.”

Dae Sung just couldn’t keep quiet. “Yeah I am.”

“Clearly you’re not.”

“Shut up.” Tae Yeon elbowed him in the arm. Why did he always have to be right?

* * *

 

Hana swirled the straw sitting in her coffee. It was a little past eleven with no sign of Eun Ji. Yuna looked up from her phone, tilting her head to the side. “Do you even know where you’re going today?”

“Of course I do. There’s a mall by the PC bang I was at last night.”

“PC bang?” Yuna’s eyebrows came together. “I heard that the generals versed each other in League. You were there?”

Hana nodded with glee. “I got to be on Eun Ji unnie and Jae Young oppa’s team! We won by a total landslide.” She watched as Yuna took in what she said. “What did you do last night unnie?”

“I mostly spent it with Jae Eun oppa and some other people. We went out to a few bars and clubs.” She went in to sip at her coffee. “Nothing huge.”

Something felt off with what she was saying. “You’ve been hanging out with Jae Eun oppa a lot lately.” Slowly squinting towards her.

Yuna raised an eyebrow. “What?”

The doorbell rang cutting the conversation short. Eun Ji and Jae Young stepped into the cafe. Hana rapidly waved at them. “Unnie! Oppa!” The two turned and walked over to the table.

“Sorry I’m late.” Eun Ji sat down with her hand resting on her cheek. “I thought I could get ready in time but I ended up being late.” Wearing her signature look, a baggy long sleeve sweater with leggings. She must be dripping in sweat.

“Don’t worry about it unnie. You’re not that late.” Glancing at her phone she could see the time read eleven twenty. Her eyes dashed over to Jae Young who stood at the register ordering something. Leaning into the table she whispered over to Eun Ji. “Oppa’s not joining us right?”

Eun Ji covered her mouth as she giggled. “Don’t worry. He has plans.” She turned over to Yuna. “Are you joining us Yuna?”

“Oh no I have plans as well.” Waving her hand away at Hana.

“Ok then let’s go!” Hana jumped up from her chair causing it to screech behind her. Bounding to the door and tossing her empty coffee cup. Yuna sighed following behind her. Eun Ji slowly got up to meet Hana at the door.

“Leaving right away?” Jae Young walked over with two cups of coffee in his hand. He handed one of the cups to Eun Ji.

Eun Ji nodded. “I’ll text you when we finish.” She took the cup and gave him a quick hug.

Hana pushed the door open letting the bell ring. Turning back to see Jae Young waving goodbye. His expression looked softer than usual.

“Alright I’m leaving now.” Yuna waved as she walked in the opposite direction.

“Have fun unnie!” Hana waved back. Once she was out of sight she turned to Eun Ji. “Ok unnie. I’m going to give you a makeover!” Skipping ahead back to the shopping district.

* * *

 

The mall was filled with different options. They had spent minutes just walking around to see all the stores. Hana kept hopping in and out of different shops with Eun Ji trailing behind. “So unnie I was thinking that one shop on the fifth floor with the really cute summer clothes.” Turning around on her heel to see Eun Ji slowly catching up.

“Ah… Well… As long as it’s not too drastic.” A flash of pain crossed her face.

“Ok let’s go!” Hana took a hold of her hand and headed towards the escalator.

Reaching the fifth floor she quickly took Eun Ji back to the store she was talking about. Stepping foot caused the floor recipients to approach. “Welcome. Do you need any help?”

Hana shook her head. “No thank you.” In a snap she began to skim the rack full of tops. Grabbing multiple items of interest. “So I know that you were always dressed to match the strawberry theme and it is your favorite.” Her mind quickly flashed back to their several team photoshoots. “So we can start there because strawberries go really well with summer!” Jumping over to a display of bottoms. “And you always wear leggings or pants. Aren’t you always sweating?” Hana turned around with the different items in her arms. Eun Ji wasn’t behind her. “Unnie?” Looking around she found her standing in front of the jewelry. “Unnie you didn’t hear what I said did you?”

“What?” Eun Ji slowly turned her head to look at Hana. There was a glaze over her eyes. “Sorry I got distracted.”

Glancing over at the display case Hana could see a pair of strawberry earrings. An assortment of fruit laid across with matching necklaces. “Well… We can start with this.” Peeling her eyes away to grab the first top and skirt. “I know you’re not huge into adding extra stuff so I just grabbed tops and bottoms.”

“Thanks Hana.” Eun Ji took the clothes without looking at them. She turned to the changing room and stepped into the box.

Hana looked back at the earrings. They were tiny strawberries with fake diamonds attached like seeds.

Eun Ji locked the door behind her. Taking in a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds. Slowly lifting the top to see what Hana picked. A light pink, skin tight top. The sleeves didn’t exist and the bottom was a basic pair of shorts. “I can’t wear this…” Mumbling the words under her breath. Slowly she took off what she was wearing. Gingerly putting on the new set of clothes. Peeking in the mirror told her enough. Her hand traced up her arm covering the marks. The other hand rubbed the ones on her thighs.

“Unnie are you done?” Hana called into the box. It was only a top and bottom.

“Hana… I can’t wear this… It’s way too much…” Eun Ji leaned against the wall. Slowly sliding down to sit on the ground. Everything was shaking inside of her. Desperately clawing at the missing sleeves to pull them down.

“Unnie…” Leaning onto the door, Hana put her ear up to it. Sounds of deep breathing quietly seeped out. “Hey unnie… You don’t have to wear it…” Diving towards the pile of clothes she had collected, Hana quickly pulled something together. “Here try this instead!” Despite the store having eyes on them she threw the clothes over the box. “Did you get that?”

A pile of clothes fell from the sky and onto her. Eun Ji looked in her lap to see a new assortment. “Yeah…” Trying to catch the air spilling out from her mouth. “I got it.” Picking herself up she examined the new set of clothes. Still quite baggy but it seemed to cover her arms.

Hana rushed to put everything away. A woman came over to help her. “I’m sorry. I wanted to help unnie but I think I made it worse. I didn’t mean to make a mess.” Hana took a deep bow towards the woman. The floor was slowly pulling her in. If only she could sink through.

“Don’t worry ma’am. It’s no trouble. You’re very sweet to help your unnie.” The smile on her face was small and professional.

The click of the door unlocking hopped into Hana’s ears. Looking over she saw Eun Ji step out. The long flowy sleeves stopped below her elbows and the skirt danced around her calves. “This is a lot lighter than what I have.” Giving a small twirl to watch the fabric follow her.

“You look so beautiful!” The woman walked over to a rack and grabbed a floppy sun hat. “This should really complete the look.” Gently placing the hat onto Eun Ji’s head. “If you would like to wear this out we can ring you up.”

“I… I think I would like that.” Eun Ji gave a small smile and followed the woman. Hana sighed the breath she was holding. Popping out of the store she looked around to see if anything else caught interest. “Ok Hana. What’s next?” Turning around she could see Eun Ji still smiling. Her shoulders weren’t as tight.

Taking a quick glance at the outfit Hana smiled back. “Well your shoes don’t match and you need a different purse.” Hana took a step back to get a better look. “And maybe a few accessories wouldn’t hurt.”

Eun Ji stepped forward and took a hold of her arm. “Ok Hana. Lead the way.”

The gentle grip made Hana’s smile explode into a grin. “Let’s go get a purse first! And then we can get some accessories!” She chatted away as Eun Ji followed next to her. Things weren’t a complete disaster yet.

* * *

 

Lunch came much later than expected. Hana didn’t notice her stomach crying for food until everything was put together. Unwrapping her roll of kimbap to set next to her ddeokbokki. “Sorry unnie. This isn’t the greatest lunch.” Popping open her can of cider.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. I can’t eat too much anyways.” Eun Ji took a bite of the ddeokbokki. “I have to go eat dinner in a few hours so it’s better that I don’t eat too much.” Everything about her seemed lighter. Her voice and movements have loosened up.

Hana popped the kimbap into her mouth. Slowly chewing on what happened earlier. “Hey unnie.” Quickly swallowing what she had. Eun Ji looked up with the chopsticks sticking out of her mouth. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

“Earlier?” Eun Ji tilted her head to the side. She slowly grabbed another piece of ddeokbokki.

“Yeah… I didn’t realize wearing short clothes was…” There wasn’t a word that was kind enough to say.

“Triggering?”

Hana winced at the word. “I feel like I should have known better… You were my teammate for three years.”

“It’s ok Hana.” Looking up she could see that Eun Ji was still smiling. “It’s not like you knew me well enough. We played different games and the only time we really got to be together was during breaks and events.” She took a small swig of her cider. “Someone like Kyu Won would know.”

Kyu Won. Hana hadn’t heard that name in forever. “I should have asked her before I dragged you out…” She wanted to kick herself for not thinking of that. “I know she took you out every once in a while to shop.” She took a piece of ddeokbokki and quickly devoured it. “But why didn’t you say anything? You didn’t have to try on what I gave you.”

“I know.” She sounded so sure. “I wanted to see what it would look like. Afterall…” The pause stopped Hana’s heart. She could feel Eun Ji’s eyes looking past her. “I haven’t worn a short sleeve shirt in over twenty years.”

Twenty years? Twenty whole years?

“That means you were…”

“Seven.” The smile still stayed with her.

“That’s a long time unnie.”

A small chuckle slipped through her smile. “You’re right. That is a long time.”

The knot in Hana’s stomach undid itself the more she ate. Eun Ji occasionally bringing up something. Slowly the plate of ddeokbokki disappeared.

“What are your plans now Hana?” Eun Ji finished up her cider.

That was something she hadn’t thought about. “I’ll probably ask around and join someone.” Gathering the empty plates to bring back to the stand. “Who are you eating dinner with?”

Eun Ji laughed as she got up. “Who else would I go eat dinner with?” Taking hold of her plates she walked over to the stand. “Jae Young reserved dinner at this restaurant a week ago.”

Of course. Hana rolled her eyes. “He always plans ahead. What if we didn’t get this break?” Dropping off her plates and quickly bowing at the man at the register.

“He would have just rescheduled.” Eun Ji bowed as well and the two turned to leave. “Besides it’s not like we get to go on dates very often.”

“But you two are always together. Don’t you want some time apart?” Thoughts of the two from the SKT house wafted by. It was impossible to see the two apart.

Eun Ji giggled at her words. “We’re not always together. I just spent an afternoon with you. Besides,” A soft smile graced her face. Flying into Hana’s heart. “After eight years I’m used to it.”

That’s right. They’ve been teammates for eight years already. Even with three years under her belt it wasn’t enough. “Unnie what should we do next!” Hana shook the nagging feeling to the side. “How about ice cream?”

“You go ahead.” Eun Ji stopped walking besides her. “I have to buy a few other things and then go to dinner.” Before Hana could say anything, she began walking away. “Go have fun!” Her back was already moving away. Hana sighed and took out her phone. Who could she hang out with?

* * *

 

Eun Ji adjusted her hat and fixed her purse. The shoes they picked out were eating her feet away. Looking through the windows reflection the pain left for a second. It was a nice look. She would have to buy similar clothes. Quickly twirling to watch the skirt dance.

“Excuse me miss.” The voice made Eun Ji jump. “I can’t seem to find my girlfriend. Do you know where she is?”

In a split second Eun Ji turned towards the voice. She could feel the smile reaching her ears. “So Jae Young. What do you think?” Stepping forward to twirl again.

Jae Young chuckled as his hand reached out to grab her hand. “I think the hat’s too big.” He pulled her into a hug. Leaning his head until it hit the rim of the hat. “See? I can’t get any closer.” In one fell swoop the hat was taken off and he kissed her forehead.

Eun Ji laughed as she put the hat back on. “You’re so weird.” Still leaning into his embrace. “But seriously. What do you think?”

“Well…” Jae Young tapped his chin. “It’s different. But it still fits you. Did Hana pull out a one eighty on you at first?”

“Yeah.” The two started walking towards the station. “But I don’t blame her. She was just excited.”

“But what about you?” The playful air was gone. She didn’t have to look to know what his face said. “How did you handle it?”

“Not very well. I thought I could but… I just ended up sitting on the changing room floor.” Eun Ji wrapped her arms around his. “But Hana’s smart. She took a few steps back and picked out this. I think she would have gotten along with Kyu Won. If only they could spend more time together…”

Jae Young shook his head. “Why didn’t you say something before you ended up on the floor?” The snap in his voice made her stomach turn. “You’re trying to be kind but just end up hurting yourself.”

The words stung. “I… I wanted to try. I thought I could do it.”

Jae Young took in a deep breath and held it. He saw the half baked answer. Eun Ji’s grip loosened. Air hissed out of his mouth. “Eun Ji.” His arm gently wrapped around her waist. “You look really cute.”

Eun Ji smiled and returned the embrace. They reached the station. Several bodies were coming in and leaving. “Where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise.” Jae Young smiled down at her. “Come on, let's go.” Leading her down to the subway.

* * *

 

“How’d it go?” Yuna didn’t bother with a hi. She just waved Hana over to the table.

“I messed up at first.” Burying her face into her hands.

“Oh what a surprise.” Kyung Soo mumbled out loud.

“But then the amazing Song Hana fixed her mistake!” Striking a triumphant pose. “After that she was unstoppable! Picking out the perfect outfit for Eun Ji unnie’s date and the future!”

Kyung Soo groaned at her words. Yuna rolled her eyes with a smile.

“You talk about Eun Ji noona like she’s some kind of god.” Jae Eun sat right next to Yuna. The two had the same look in their eyes. “I would never have believed you were on the same team as her.”

“That’s because she is like a god!” Hana grabbed the menu from Kyung Soo.

“Oh great. Thanks oppa.” Yuna rest her cheek onto her hand. “Now she’s never going to shut up.”

“Sorry I’m late!” The group looked up to see Seung Hwa jogging up to them. “Kyung Tae hyung was at the arcade and I ended up watching him for a few hours.” Plopping himself down onto Kyung Soo’s other side.

“Great now I have two crazy fans on both sides.” Grumbling into his water cup.

“Oh man you should have seen him! He was showing Mi Sook noona how to cheese all the games. I wish I could learn from him too.” Seung Hwa was bouncing in his own seat.

“Maybe after this Gwishin crisis you can learn from him.” Yuna slid a cup over to Seung Hwa.

“I hope so. If I could just learn from the best Starcraft player maybe I could have a chance of winning the championship.”

“Be careful.” Kyung Soo took the menu from Hana and handed it to Seung Hwa. “You might become a D.Va.”

“Hey!” Hana snapped her attention over to Kyung Soo.

“You’ll take down the current champion and they’ll hate you for the rest of your career.” He was facing Seung Hwa but his voice reached Hana.

Hana could feel her cheeks burning. “Tae Yeon unnie doesn’t hate me.”

“Are you sure about that?” Kyung Soo snapped right back. “Because it seems like she still does.”

“I don’t mean to be that person but,” Yuna interjected. “It does seem like Tae Yeon unnie hates you still.”

“Thanks unnie.” Hana sulked in her seat. This is not how she planned dinner to go.

Jae Eun clicked his tongue. His head slowly shaking. “You esports athletes have so much drama.”

“What?” Yuna shot a glare towards him. “Do racers not have drama?”

“Not this kind of drama. For starters you all live together in your team house. That’s already a breeding ground for drama.”

He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah like the drama of Jae Young oppa and Eun Ji unnie.”

“Oh my god that was so annoying. There was literally a time when everyone in the house only talked about them.” Yuna rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure the only reason why our manager and coaches finally let the secret out was so they could bring our concentration back.”

Hana nodded. “You’re probably the only one outside of the esport teams that knows about this Jae Eun oppa.” Suddenly she perked up. “Oh my god oppa.”

“What?” Jae Eun looked over at Hana.

“Your name is Jae Young oppa and Eun Ji unnie’s couple name.”

Yuna snorted at her words. “Holy shit.”

“Hey she’s right.” Kyung Soo put his hand up to Hana. She quickly snagged a high five.

“Oh my god you guys are so weird.” Jae Eun looked out to the restaurant. “Where’s our waiter I need to stop this conversation.”

Yuna chuckled and picked up her phone. “Ok so what does everyone have planned for break? I know that I want to go to a few places before the month ends.”

“We have to go to Haeundae!” Hana clasped her hands together. “Unnie let’s go swimsuit shopping!”

“Didn’t you go shopping today?” Yuna’s voice gently poked at Hana.

“Haeundae sounds fun.” Jae Eun pushed the button to call for the waiter. “It’s been a while since I got to go to the beach.”

Kyung Soo snorted. “You’re just trying to show off.” Jae Eun’s smirk answered that. “Well I’ll go but only if we have chi-maek.”

“Me too!” Seung Hwa piped in. “I’ve never been to the famous Busan beaches.”

“Sweet it’s a date.” Yuna opened up her calendar. “How about… Well today’s Wednesday and Hana wants to go swimsuit shopping.” Hana nodded at her words. “That means we would spend Thursday shopping. But the weekend means the beach will be really crowded.”

Kyung Soo sighed. “Are you saying we go next week?”

Yuna shrugged. “This gives us a chance to invite others.”

“Hello what can I serve you.” The waiter stepped up to the table. A stern smile sitting on her face. Jae Eun quickly rattled off his order. Yuna following suit. Hana waited for the waiter to go around the table. After jotting down what everyone wanted she bowed and walked away.

“How about next Monday? That will give us a chance to invite others and let them go shopping.” Yuna opened up Kakao and scrolled to the MEKA group.

Hana couldn’t keep her bubbling excitement in. “This is going to be great! A bonding moment for MEKA!”

“Sweet. I’ll send it out.” Tapping away the message was sent. Four phones pinged as the message reached out. Responses quickly flooded in.

“I haven’t been to the beach in forever!”

“This is going to be fun.”

“Can’t wait!”

“What time?”

“Monday means less people. Good idea.”

It was official. A beach day with MEKA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The area MEKA is staying at is the Downtown area from the Overwatch Busan map. This area is the neighborhood of Chorang.
> 
> In Korea you can try clothes on and buy it as you wear it. In this case Eun Ji is buying the clothes she tried on and wearing it out.
> 
> Haeundae is a famous district with Korea's most famous beach.


End file.
